Beauty Among the Beasts
by vintage88
Summary: Run, the wind whispered, run Arabella! And so she did, because she knew she everything was after her. She knew she was no longer safe.
1. Chapter 1

There was a time when humans were not the only rulers of the earth. During this time they only owned the bits and pieces of land that they could keep. Controlling the seas was rare, and the skies dangerous. Humans, although incredibly smart, were not always the strongest, for they had to compete against the most gruesome of beats. In fact, during this time, humans were not even called humans.

They were called the Beauties.

The Beauties were just that, exquisite and wise creatures that had matured and civilized themselves faster than anything else in the forests. Their rapid development caused panic and jealousy among many others who lived in the forest, and the Beauties had many enemies. It was almost impossible for them to trust anyone but their own kind.

There was one kind of creature though, that particularly didn't get along with the Beauties. Considered the exact opposite of the Beauties, they were given the name the Beasts. The Beats were wild, hideous and violet monsters that haunted dreams and terrorized the night. They believed the only way to settle an argument was through battle, which is why they loathed the perfect lives of the Beauties.

Every Beauty hated every Beast, and every Beast hated every Beauty.

But of course, in nature, there are always exceptions. There was a tale that floated through the winds of a male Beast and female Beauty who had fallen in love with each other. They kept their affair secret for as long as they could, and although many suspected the woman was seeing someone, they could not prove it.

Until, that is, she became pregnant. And imagine everyone's horrified shock when they realized the father was none other than the Beauty's worst enemy. The Beast was sentenced to death; hunted down despites the woman's pleas, and then killed before her own eyes. As for the woman, it is unsure as to what happened to her, as tales often have multiple endings.

Some say that she was killed along with the Beast, for she had betrayed and embarrassed her own kind. This was the most respectable ending, for it meant that her mixed-blood child would be dead as well and the keep the Beauties' world perfected. Others said though that she escaped, and gave birth to her child in the forest, where she and her baby were hidden, a secret and mystery to all.

But what a foolish ending to a foolish story, for never would any respectable Beauty have an affair with a Beast, and if so, the Royalties of the Beauties would never let the woman and her thing of a child escape. Nonetheless, the story of this woman and her baby was a favourite among the Beauties. Where was the mixed-blood child now? What would she look like (for the winds had whispered it would be a girl)? There were many answers to these questions, but whatever kingdom the Beauties lived in, the name for the mixed-blood child was always the same.

It was a strange, unfamiliar yet beautiful name. It fit perfectly for a half Beauty, half Beast creature, and although no Beauty would ever admit it, they all thought it was the most beautiful sounding name they had ever heard.

The name was Arabella.

_A/N - Just a little opening to this story._

_x0_

Vintage88


	2. Chapter 2

It was the type of weather that she loved; humid and balmy, with the feeling of knowing that the dark sky above would soon begin to rain. Then there was the hot, fresh smell of the air that filled her lungs with each breath. These were the days that she treasured the most, because she knew that it would bring on a storm. And there were very few things that Arabella liked more than a storm.

The wind suddenly picked up, catching Arabella's skirt so that it thrashed around her legs. A satisfied smile played with the corners of her red lips. What was peculiar was that Arabella was not an aggressive girl – she did not like to fight or complain, and she hardly yelled. Yet there was a large part of her that loved any violent and wicked storm.

"Arabella?" the voice of her mother arose from the small cabin behind her, "Arabella?"

Arabella turned around to face her mother, who was watching her from the window. She grinned at her mother – her only friend – and quickly ran inside her home. Arabella's mother had been sick, terribly sick. Often she would spend most of her days in bed, pale and in a cold sweat. Today though, she had gathered enough energy to walk by herself to the window to sit.

"Everything alright, mother?" asked Arabella, "Would you like some tea?"

With slight hesitation, her mother nodded, and Arabella eagerly bounded across the room to the kitchen. As she stirred in tea leaves, Arabella watched her mother out of the corner of her eye. Even sick, her mother was gorgeous. She had a soft, round face with probably the kindest blue eyes ever. Her pale blonde hair was always soft and tied back neatly into a bun.

Although Arabella would never admit it, she envied her mother's beauty, for that's what she was, a Beauty. Arabella's mixed-blood had not been kept a secret from her. Her mother had told her that her father was a Beast, and that because she was imperfect, they had to stay hidden. Sometimes when Arabella was by herself, something would rise in her chest, and she would suddenly be so furious and jealous of her mother, that she swore she could have killed someone to be considered a Beauty.

And then, just like that, the feeling would be gone, leaving her ashamed of herself. Her mother never knew about these reactions. Arabella just assumed she had gotten them from her father, and that there was no use in telling her mother.

"Alright," breathed Arabella as she carried a steaming mug towards her mother, "would you like anything else?"

"Arabella," her mother spoke slowly, "I would like to talk to you."

With this, Arabella's heat swelled with joy. The fact that her mother had enough energy to talk must have meant she was getting better. Nodding, she readily grabbed a wooden chair and sat across from her mother.

Her mother took a sip of her tea. "You have to leave," she suddenly said flatly.

It took a moment for Arabella to respond. Ever her slowly, her smile dissolved. "What? Mother –"

"You have to leave," she repeated. She could not look at her daughter as she spoke.

The wind picked up speed again and rushed in through the window, hitting Arabella directly in the face. "I don't understand."

"I'm dying, Arabella."

"Don't say that." Arabella's voice was firm, "Don't say that! It's just a cold, mother, you just have a cold. You'll be better by next week."

"Arabella, I need you to listen to me. I'm dying, and when I die, you will no longer be safe." Her mother paused, the tea in her hands shaking. "When you were born, Arabella, something happened. Chaos erupted everywhere, among the Beauties, among the Beats, among any living thing. Everyone wanted a piece of you because you were... different."

_Because I was imperfect,_ Arabella wanted to say, _because I was a freak._ She kept her mouth tightly shut though, for she was sure that if she opened it, she would have screamed.

"So I used magic, every ounce of power I had to keep them away," continued her mother, "When I die though Arabella, the winds will let everyone know and there will be nothing from stopping the cruellest of creatures come after you."

"What do you want me to do though? Are you saying I must go somewhere by myself?" asked Arabella frantically, "What good will that do me anyways? This magic you talk about will not protect me unless I am with you, so why do I have to leave now?"

"You're right," her mother agreed, "there will be no magic to protect you. But at the same token, no one will be expecting you. They will think you are with me until I die. No one is after you. Yet. That is why you must leave now. Arabella, my end is near and once the wind tells others, you will not be safe.

"You much go the Kingdom of the Beauties. Follow where the sun rises and you will find it. You must find it, for you must speak to the king, no matter what happens, you must find a way to speak to him. Do you understand? Tell him who you are and tell him you are in danger. Tell him I sent you."

"Mother, I'm scared-" Arabella began.

"And I'm sorry," her mother whispered, "I'm so sorry I brought this fate upon you. But it is time to leave. You do not have time to pack, you must go immediately."

"I don't want to mother!"

Her mother was crying now. Arabella's face, on the other hand, was stone cold. She wasn't crying, she couldn't cry. She didn't know how. She had never cried a day in her life, not even the day she was born. Arabella didn't understand what crying was, what it felt like, but she hated to see her mother do it anyways.

"Will I see you again?" she whispered.

Her mother looked up at Arabella and smiled sadly. She knew the answer to her question. She knew she would never see her stunning daughter again, with her thick black hair, sharp features and piercing green eyes. She also knew she was incapable of telling her daughter this though, so instead she lightly leaned forward and kissed Arabella on the cheek.

"I love you Arabella, my daughter, forever. Be brave, stay strong."

Although it felt impossible, Arabella nodded. "I love you too."

There was a pause between the two of them, and a heavy silent hung in the air. Arabella knew that it was probably time to leave, but she still didn't understand why it all had to be so sudden. The wind grew even stronger outside and moaned against the house.

"Run Arabella," her mother whispered, "run."

And so she did.


	3. Chapter 3

_What are you doing, what are you doing, what are you doing?_

Arabella could not answer her own question as she dashed through the forest. The wind howled, the low sky rumbled, and plants grabbed onto her hair and clothes and skin as if they had tiny fingers. She knew to get to the Kingdom of Beauties, she had to go where the sun rose, but all she could do was run frantically.

Fear clung to her body, for she had never been this far away from her home, not to mention by herself. Desperately, Arabella just wanted to turn around, but something kept her running, almost as if there were some invisible wall pushing her from behind.

Arabella ran and ran and ran, her thin body screaming with pain and lungs deflated of air. She had to stop or she was sure she was going to collapse. Breathing hard, Arabella slowed down until she came to a complete stop beneath a tree with large, thick leaves.

As her heart slowed down, everything dawned on Arabella. She was by herself without the faintest idea of where she was. She had not packed any extra clothes or water. The only positive thing was that Arabella had been raised to find fruits. She knew almost every edible and non-edible fruit in the forest. As long as she didn't somehow end up in a desert, she was pretty sure she would be able to satisfy her hunger, even if it was the last thing on her mind.

Then, just like that, the wind suddenly died. Everything was eerily silent, and Arabella held her breath nervously. After a moment, there was a tiny _splat_ of a sound. It was followed by another, then another, and soon a thousand more.

It had begun to rain.

Arabella's shoulders dropped as a raindrop fell through the uneven leaves, landed on her neck and rolled down her spine. Shivering, she knew she would have to find shelter that would last longer than under some tree. Glancing up, Arabella noticed the large leaves were easily a meter in width. Reaching up, she yanked one off of the tree and held it above her head.

Hesitating, she dashed out into the rain. _If only I could see the sun¸_ Arabella thought, feeling lost and defeated, _if only I knew where I was going._

* * *

Opening his large jaw up to the falling sky, Okram filled his fanged mouth with water and swished it around before spitting out onto the ground. He then used his cigar fingers to try and get the mud out of his tangled brown hair.

Turning his neck, Okram glanced back to where he and his thieves had set up camp for the night. Two wooden trailers were surrounded by three small tents, glowing from the lanterns that had been lit on the inside. Four beast-like horses were tied up to the trunk of a tree, their coats so black they almost disappeared right into the night.

Okram opened his mouth again, wanting to wash out the taste of old potatoes which he had had for dinner. He hated potatoes. For god sake, he was a Beast after all. He craved meat, blood, but not vegetables! Before the water could fill up his large mouth though, it suddenly stopped.

The rain in the forest was like that. It would come unexpectedly, and then disappear just as fast. Shaking his large head in irritation, he turned around to head back to camp, but quickly caught sight of something only a few feet away.

It was a girl.

She was young, about sixteen, holding onto a large leaf above her head. Her whole body was shaking, frozen in fear. Okram licked his lips and grinned, baring his large, yellow fangs. _A Beauty. _

"Dinner," he said in his low voice, keeping his eyes locked with hers. Taking a step closer to her, he continued, "Don't bother running, for you know I'll get you." He took another step closer to her, the earth shaking beneath his feet.

"Tell me," he asked, "what is a Beauty like yourself doing out here with no protection?"

As soon as he asked this though, a sort of realization hit him. He stopped walking closer and the grin disappeared off of his face. Even with just the light glowing from the tents, Okram could see that this was not like any Beauty he had ever seen before.

She was... different. Although she had the body of a Beauty, the girl didn't look as fragile, like her skin wouldn't slice as easily with a knife. Her dark hair was thick; a mess with a leaf stuck in it. She had the tiny nose and full lips of a Beauty, but rest of her face was sharp and angular with high cheekbones. Plus her cat-like eyes, even in the dark, were a brighter green then an emerald.

_Rare for a Beauty, _thought Okram suspiciously.

Despite his appearance, and the fact that he was a Beast, Okram was smart (an utter fear for all Beauties). The girl who stood in front of him was stunning, but exotic, different, something he knew Beauties did not like. But he also knew that not one Beast would ever be lucky enough to have features like hers.

_Unless they were only part Beast_.

"Before I decide what to do with you," Okram spoke at last, "tell me what makes you smile."

The girl hesitated, still shaking and digging her fingers into the leaf. At last, she wobbly answered, "Storms... and my mother." Despite her fear, the girl couldn't help but smile slightly. As she did, her white teeth showed, along with two, tiny fangs.

And that was all Okram needed.

"You're coming with me," he said, suddenly lunging for the girl. She dropped the leaf and let out a scream. It was no use trying to get away, for Okram had hold of her arm in a second. Hoisting her up over his shoulder, he carried her the few feet towards a trailer. Opening up the door, he tossed her inside before slamming the door shut and locking it.

He paused for a second, waiting to see if her screaming would continue. It didn't, and Okram realized he really wasn't dealing with a Beauty.

"What did you catch?" a voice came out of nowhere.

Snapping around, Okram realized it was one of his thieves, Keeble. Keeble was tall and thin, but moved with amazing speed. That was why Okram had named him second in command.

"What did you catch?" he asked again, "It screamed. It sounded like a Beauty."

Okram suddenly grinned wickedly. "Better than a Beauty," he whispered, his beady black eyes flashing dangerously, "I just caught Arabella."

At this, a cold breeze floated by and the leaves on trees and plants came alive, shaking with excitement. _Arabella, _they whispered over and over and over again. The secret was out, and soon every Beast and creature in the forest would know.


	4. Chapter 4

Any creature would have understood why Arabella got very little sleep that night. After her eyes had adjusted to the dark, she had determined that she had been tossed into some type of storage trailer. It smelt like dusty wood and old vegetables. There had been no signs of blankets, so Arabella had just wedged herself between two lumpy, overstuffed sacks for the smallest attempt of warmth.

Shivering slightly, Arabella stared in a daze at a stream of gold light that shined through a crack in the door. Dust floated around in the gold like fairies, free and careless. Arabella had never wished more in her life then at that moment to be a piece of dust.

A loud crack startled Arabella and making her jump to her feel. This was followed by the trailer door being pulled open. Light flooded the room, and for a moment Arabella was blind. She thought it would have been the Beast from last night to be getting her, but once her eyes adjusted, she quickly realized it was someone else.

He was an albino. It was like looking at a ghost. His skin was pale and he had hair as white as snow. The only thing that was strange about this albino was that instead of having blood red eyes, his were the palest grey-blue possible, so light that they were almost white. Apart from his raggedy clothes, he had no color at all.

Then another startling fact caught Arabella's attention. The albino was tall and slender, with a tiny nose, large eyes and thin lips. His ears were round, teeth fangless, hands clawless, and head hornless. Arabella's mouth slowly fell open.

"Why," she whispered, "you're... you're a Beauty."

At this, the albino lunged for her. In almost no time at all, he had her pinned up against the wall easily, like she weighed nothing more than a tiny doll. With his face only an inch away from her own, he hissed, "Don't you ever, _ever_, call me that again! If I hear that word leave your mouth, you'll never see another minute in your life."

With that, he grabbed onto her thin arm and practically dragged her out of the trailer. He moved unbelievably fast, Arabella stumbling behind him. She wasn't even sure what she had said that was so offensive, for there was no way she could have gotten it wrong. The albino, whoever he was, was certainly no Beast. If he weren't so colorless, he would have looked similar to Arabella's own mother.

The albino suddenly shoved Arabella to the ground, her hands and knees getting scraped by pebbles.

"I got her for you," the albino spat angrily.

There was a chuckle, followed by the voice of the Beast from last night. "Good morning Princess."

Arabella slowly sat up on her knees. She could feel the albino standing behind her, but it was what was in front of that terrified her. Three Beasts sat on fat logs around a fire, two male and one female. She began to feel dizzy with fear.

"The little whore looks like she's about to faint," the female Beast scoffed. She was short with thick, speckled skin. Her hair was wild and a shocking color of fiery red with two tiny horns sticking out. Her beady eyes watched Arabella in pure amusement, and she wore a wicked grin below her fat nose, showing off her small, sharp teeth.

"Don't scare the poor thing," the male that Arabella didn't recognize said sarcastically, "show her some manners, for that's the proper Beauty way. Oh wait, but you aren't a Beauty, are you?"

Arabella couldn't answer. All she could do was stare. This Beast was tall and thin with greasy black-blue hair. His ears stuck upwards with sharp points at the ends, and his eyes were slightly larger than a normal Beast's. They were so black that staring into them was like falling down a bottomless pit. It was easy and terrifying to get lost in them. Arabella thought she wouldn't be able to look away, but he then stuck out his thin snake tongue and hissed quietly, waking her up.

"Why don't you meet everyone," the Beast from last night spoke. He was by far the largest, wide like a tree truck with gold horns and black hair and beard around his wide mouth. "My name is Okram. That lovely lady over there is Ladalee, and next to her is Slithe. Then, behind you, is the one who I'm sure kindly woke you up this morning, Keeble. I'd ask you to introduce yourself, but we all know who you are."

Ever so slowly, Arabella rose to her feet. She was speechless, her breath staggering. Keeble walked past her and took a seat on another log.

"What?" Okram suddenly asked, "Didn't know Beasts had manners?"

Arabella hesitated. "I wouldn't know. I've never met a Beast before."

"Good," Keeble said harshly, "otherwise you'd probably be dead." He had seemed to grab a stick out of nowhere and was roasting some type of rodent over the fire.

Silence followed, and the Beasts turned back to their breakfast. It was like they hardly cared that Arabella was there, and because of this she was unable to run. A confident feeling from them hung in the air, warning Arabella that if she tried to run, they'd be able to catch her easily.

"Why do you want me?" Arabella finally asked, nervously clenching her hands into fists.

Ladalee let out a cruel _HA_. "Everyone and everything wants you. Some have been looking for you the day you were born."

"Luckily, you found us first," Okram chuckled as he ripped the head off of some roasted animal with his mouth and chewed it. "Why don't you sit back down, Princess?"

Arabella did as she was told.

"Slithe, go grab her once of those mice from the trap," Okram then ordered. Before Slythe could glare at Okram for being asked to feed their prisoner, Arabella quickly shook her head.

"We don't know what that means," Ladalee snapped at her.

"I don't eat meat," squeaked Arabella. This answer got Slythe and Ladalee to glare daggers at her. Keeble kept his head down while Okram stared at Arabella in some sort of interest.

"The whore's getting picky," Ladalee mumbled, "We should have just eaten her -"

"Shut up Ladalee," Okram growled, cutting her off. He glowered at the red head until she had to drop her eyes. Then, turning back to Arabella, he softened his voice. "And why don't you eat meat, Princess?"

Arabella's sharp green eyes stared directly back in Okram's tiny ones. She wasn't quite sure why he was standing up for her. From her side view, she could see Ladalee scowling at her, and Arabella was sure that if it weren't for Okram, the female Beast would be digging her nails into her flesh that moment.

"My mother," she finally answered, "she didn't want me to eat meat, so I never did."

A flash of white signalled to Arabella that Keeble had snapped his head up at this comment. She could feel his round eyes on her, only they didn't make her feel scared or uncomfortable. They felt like the eyes of a Beauty.

"Did she say why she didn't want you to eat meat?" asked Keeble.

"Only that I didn't need it," responded Arabella.

Keeble's eyes shifted to Okram who had a smirk on his large mouth. "Interested," Okram said lowly, "that's very interesting."

Arabella shivered. "How so?"

He never did answer.

* * *

Arabella was not offered any other breakfast. She didn't mind too much at the time, for her nerves had fully conquered any form of appetite. Okram, Slythe and Ladalee had finished off their rodent. Keeble could only eat half of his before having to offer it to one of the other Beasts. After the last stick had been thrown into the dying fire, all eyes were once again on Arabella.

"So," Slythe said in his low, smooth voice, "Arabella... surely you must have some questions you wish to ask us before we get on our way?" His thin, split tongue flickered in and out between his pale lips.

"On our way?" Arabella asked cautiously, eyeing the four black horses that were ripping bark off of a tree for their breakfast, "Where are we going?"

"We never stay in one place for long," explained Okram, "because we're thieves. We wouldn't last very long if only stayed in one spot."

Arabella's face must have looked shocked at this, because Ladalee let out a tiny snigger. "Does that surprise you?" she asked mockingly. "Did you not think it was possible for Beasts to have some sort of plan when attacking others?"

"I didn't exactly know what I thought of Beasts," Arabella lifted her chin a little higher, "for I had never met one or had enough information about them to assume such things."

Keeble rolled his eyes. "At least we know she has the brain of a Beauty," he mumbled.

Slythe then added quietly, "And the body." Arabella sucked in her breath, terrified, but it didn't seem like anyone else had heard... or cared.

"Where are we going?" she suddenly asked, determined, "Where do you want to take me?"

"The Kingdom of Beauties," Okram told her, and Arabella's mouth formed the shape of a small o.

"The Kingdom... but why do you want to take me there?" She couldn't even believe her luck, if that's what it was called. Why these Beasts would want to take her there was beyond her, but it didn't mind her as long as they knew where they were going.

"We have our own reasons," Ladalee said flatly, which meant for Arabella to not pray the topic any longer.

_The Kingdom of Beauties, _the wind whispered. The leaves in the trees above shook, staggering the light that fell down and casting shadows. The horses began to shake their heads frantically, their ears back. Apart from Ladalee who remained oblivious, everyone glanced up with an uncanny feeling in their blood.

"It's time to go," Slythe's voice was soft. The four thieves all jumped to their feet and briskly walked off to where they needed to be to get ready to leave. Arabella slowly rose to her feet and watched as Keeble lifted up a bucket of water and poured it on the dying fire.

"What should I do?" she asked nervously, "To help, I mean –"

"Nothing," Keeble spoke gravely without looking at her, "just keep out of everyone's way so we can leave faster, especially _my_ way." Placing the bucket down, he stood up to his full height and turned towards Arabella. "I have a feeling it could take a while to get where we're going."

She fiddled with her fingers tensely. "Why's that?" she asked softly.

"Because," he said slowly as he walked towards the horses, "everything's after you."


	5. Chapter 5

After the tents had been packed away and the horses had been attached to the trailers, two by two, they began their journey to the Kingdom of Beauties. Ladalee had insisted that Arabella sit on top of one of the trailers between some extra bags that had been tied on top.

"That way she can hide easily," Ladalee had explained, "if anyone should show up."

The longer they travelled though, the more Arabella couldn't help but wonder if Ladalee had only said that so she wouldn't have to face her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ladalee following Keeble eagerly, trying to start a conversation. At one point, Keeble had rolled his eyes in irritation and they met with Arabella's. The soft twinkle surprised Arabella, causing her heat to skip a beat and she quickly shifted her gaze.

Despite their appearance, the Beasts were quite quiet as they walked – that is, apart from Ladalee and her near pathetic attempt to grab Keeble's attention. Arabella had just about a thousand questions to ask them, but she wasn't sure if they were on real speaking terms.

Becoming bored, Arabella lay back onto one of the sacks, staring up at the sky. She had hardly been like that for a second before she spotted something tiny flying above her. It twitched and flew around in circles above Arabella's head. It wasn't until she heard a tiny giggle that she realized what it was.

A fairy.

"Hello," whispered Arabella. She had never spoken to a fairy before because she had never seen one, at home, her mother had had books on absolutely everything. Arabella had read them hundreds of times, cover to back, and was absolutely positive that this was a fairy.

Self-consciously, she held out her hand, and after a moment, the fairy landed on it. A tingle shot through Arabella's body as her feet touched her finger. The fairy was dark, skin the color of cinnamon and dirty blonde hair that fell to her feet. She wore nothing but the wings on her back and flower in her hair.

"Hello," repeated Arabella again, "who are you?"

The fairy just laughed. "I know who you are," her voice was so soft that Arabella had to strain your ears. "Arabella, everyone knows who you are, although most thought you were a story. I knew you were real though."

At this, the fairy jumped off of her finger and flew closer to her face. "I thought you would be uglier," the fairy told her before adding, "not that you're a Beauty or anything." She laughed again and she flipped around in the air. Arabella suddenly had the urge to smash the mosquito-like creature between her hands, but quickly told herself to stop thinking such thoughts.

"Why did people think I was a story?" she asked the fairy instead.

"Why do you think?" tittered again, "No one could actually imagine a Beauty and a Beast together. It's not in the nature of a Beast and is certainly too disgraceful for a Beauty. Yet here you are; a mixed-blood; a creature so tainted and impure that your true existence will probably startle some to their deaths." The fairy let out a sigh as Arabella felt the fury rise inside of her once again. "But I knew you were real all along. I could feel it."

Before the fairy could open her snide little mouth again, a long, thin pink line came out of nowhere and snatched the fairy. She let out a tiny scream, but it was quickly muffled. Startled, Arabella sat up and turned around just in time to see that the pink line had been Slythe's tongue (she hadn't even heard him climb up on the trailer)! The fairy was sucked into his mouth and he chewed.

_Crunch... crunch... crunch..._ His slow chewing echoed in Arabella's ears. Slythe swallowed, his black eyes never leaving Arabella.

"Why were you talking to her?" he suddenly asked.

She swallowed. "I didn't know I wasn't allowed to talk to a fairy."

"Talking to a fairy is the last thing you want to do. You talk to one, soon the thousands of them will know. If you see another fairy, you kill it. Immediately."

Although Slythe's tone was stern, he didn't sound angry. No, there wasn't something else in the way he spoke to her, something ominous in his tone that frightened Arabella.

"Have you ever killed anything?" Slythe continued, "Have you ever spilt red across your hands?"

Her green eyes narrowed. "What kind of question is that?"

Slythe smirked and his tongue flickered. "I'm just asking if you have a dark side; if you have the side of a Beast."

"Slythe!" Okram's booming voice suddenly emerged, "What do you think you're doing up there? Get down before the whole bloody trailer collapses."

Finally releasing his gaze with Arabella's, Slythe stood up to his full height. Without hesitation, he leapt off of the trailer. "You idiot," Okram's bellowing continued, "go back to the trailer where I assigned you before I rip your tongue out!"

There was a pause before Okram lightly tapped the side of the trailer. "You still up there Arabella?"

Leaning over the side, Arabella nodded at Okram, smiling slightly. She wasn't about to let anyone know how terrified she was of Slythe – or all of them for that matter. Okram nodded his wide mouth in a smile. "You just ignore that ol' Slythe. He's a character, full of dark lies and tales, but he's been with us long enough that I know I can trust him."

Arabella nodded again before speaking softly. "Okram?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm."

"Keeble said that everything was after me... every creature. Is he just full of lies as well?"

Okram's small eyes looked up at Arabella, her black hair falling in front of her pale face. "Keeble may keep things to himself, but he's not one to lie."

"So it's true then?" She felt the wind knocked out of her as Okram nodded. "But why? Is everything after me just because I'm half Beauty, half Beast; just because I'm a mixed-blood?"

"_Just_ because you're a mixed-blood? Look Princess, you may not know this, but being a mixed-blood does not happen very often. You're given immediate titles, not to mention the one you already have!"

"What titles?"

Okram paused for just a second before stumbling over his words. "Well you know," he said quickly, "Beasts and Beauties are sworn enemies and all..."

Arabella frowned slightly, confused as to what he was trying to say. Was he trying to say that it was impossible for a Beauty and a Beast to fall in love? That had been one of the many lessons her mother had taught her. Love is always everywhere and always possible.

"I'm still not sure why creatures all want me," she admitted.

Okram sighed. "You want the truth? Beauties want you dead because you're only half of a Beauty, an embarrassment to them. Beasts want you for a number of reasons, usually just to eat you. Other creatures want you for some of the same reasons for Beasts, but I won't bother getting into those."

"Why not? What reasons? Please Okram, I need to understand." She paused. "Why do _you_ want me? And I'm guessing it's not to eat me because you've already had the chance." Saying that out loud made Arabella relax slightly.

It was only for a second though, because there was a loud stomp and the sound of falling trees, shaking the Earth. The Beasts and horses all stopped, looking confused for only a second.

"Quick," Okram hissed to Arabella, "get under the bags _now_. I don't want to hear a sound from you until I say so, understood?"

Before she could nod, Okram was gone, hissing commands to the other Beasts. The ground continued to shake and as Arabella tried to pull bags on top of herself, she could see the thick trees falling over. There was a sudden thump as Keeble pulled himself up onto the trailer.

"What are you doing?" hissed Arabella.

"Having to watch over you!" he whispered back before lifting a bag up with ease and lightly placing it on top of her. "Now don't move."

Arabella did as she was told. There was a small gap that allowed one of her eyes view out towards the shaking trees, conveniently. They waited in silence, the sound of large footsteps getting louder and louder until Arabella could faintly make out a large creature pushing its way through the forest until it emerged onto the path.

It stood about ten feet tall, grey skin and thick red lips and small head. With a tree over its shoulder, the monster stopped moving, gazing around lazily with its one eyes. Arabella's body became tight with nerves, not exactly for herself, but for the fact the other Beasts hadn't even bothered hiding themselves.

The monster let out a loud grunt and continued along its way as if the Beasts and trailers weren't even there. After the thunderous sounds of its footsteps faded, the horses began to pull the trailers and Keeble pulled the bag off of Arabella.

"You alright?" he asked her as he pushed his white hair out of his face.

Arabella's mouth hung open, still in shock. "Yes... what was that thing?"

Keeble grinned. "An ogre," he told her, "they look completely monstrous, but in truth, they're about as smart as a rock. They're easy to convince, so in wars, different creatures will persuade them to fight the other side."

"Why didn't it attack us then?"

"Again, they're about as smart as a rock. All you have to do is freeze and make no sound whatsoever and it won't see you."

Arabella hesitated before asking, "Are ogres smart enough to know about me?"

At this, Keeble let out a small laugh, pale eyes flashing and looking exactly like a Beauty. "They know about you, but probably don't care about you like other creatures. You'll have to still watch out for them though in case some other creature has convinced them to look for you."

She couldn't help but smile back. His grin was contagious and she couldn't help it as her lips cracked open. As she did, Arabella could feel her two, small fangs lightly hit her bottom lip. They instantly caught Keeble's eye and she quickly shut her mouth with embarrassment.

Keeble's grin had now been replaced with a look of slightly curiosity and awe. With a nod of his head, he shifted his gaze and asked sheepishly, "Are you hungry? I can go find some berries most likely in the forest. Probably best if you stay up here."

Arabella nodded and with that, Keeble quickly jumped off of the moving trailer. With a sad sigh, Arabella leaned back, covering her mouth with her hands, previous conversations swirling around in her head.

_Yet here you are; a mixed-blood; a creature so tainted and impure that your true existence will probably startle some to their deaths. _

_Beauties want you dead because you're only half of a Beauty, an embarrassment to them._

She had never felt uglier in her life.


	6. Chapter 6

The rainy season was approaching. Above the canopy of trees were dark clouds that hung daringly low, threatening the land with storms. Arabella watched them dreamily, a coy smile on her face as she fiddled with her tangled hair. Lying on her back was all she had been doing for the past hour. Keeble had quickly dropped off some berries and bark he'd found in the woods, but didn't stay to talk. No one bothered to talk to Arabella, and she soon became awfully bored.

At home, Arabella would spend her days outside, on her feet, doing chores or running around. She had too much energy to just be sitting on top of a trailer. Her back was also sore from bouncing up and down on all of the lumpy sacks anyways, so with a deep breath, she shuffled over to the edge of the trailer. The horses weren't moving fast, no faster than average Beauty or Beast walking pace, but the height of the trailer was intimidating. Closing her green eyes, she jumped.

She landed on her feet, but pain shot up through her claves, making her wince slightly.

"Hey!" Ladalee suddenly yelled, "hey, hey, hey, what do you think you're doing! She's getting away!"

Keeble appeared in front of Arabella out of nowhere, but it was Slythe who grabbed her by her arms from behind. He held onto her firmly, close to his body. It was here Arabella realized he had long fingernails, which dug into her thin arms.

"I'm not trying to escape!" snapped Arabella, cringing.

Okram finally appeared, clearly the slowest of the Beasts. "What's going on here!" he roared. His voice sounded up to the trees, scaring a flock of birds. The horses came to an immediate stop and everyone froze. Everything went silent.

"She was trying to escape!" Ladalee finally burst. Her mouth was in a crazed, satisfied smile that, with her red hair, made her look mad. "I told you we couldn't trust her."

"I wasn't running away," retorted Arabella, "I swear!" She her hung mouth open in frustration, making eye contact with everyone to prove she wasn't lying. Did they actually think she would leave four Beasts she had partially befriended to be lost in the forest by herself?

"What were you doing then?" Keeble asked next. His voice was calm, but his thin, white eyebrows were arched in disbelief. It suddenly irritated – no, infuriated Arabella that Keeble wouldn't believe her. They had had a fairly normal conversation and he still wouldn't trust? She could feel her eyes widen and she clenched her jaw, baring her teeth.

"I was bored!" she replied angrily, "I needed to walk, to move around and do something. You can't just expect me to sit on the trailer for hours like I'm royalty or something. I haven't been raised to just not do anything."

She squirmed as she spoke, but immediately wished she hadn't as Slythe pulled her even closer towards him. One of his hands slowly slid down her arm where he let it lightly touch her thigh. Her whole body shivered and she desperately tried to get out of his grasp.

"Quite a temper you've got there Princess," Okram pointed out. He paused, studying the mixed-blood closely before turning around. "Alright, you may walk with us. We'll be keep an eye on you though." He whistled loudly and the horses continued to move.

Keeble was eyeing Okram and quickly followed him. Ladalee just glared at Arabella. "You know you could have just asked to walk instead of causing all this trouble," she sounded like a child when she spoke.

Arabella had expected Slythe to let go of her, but to her distress he continued to hold onto her. She tried to wriggle free, unsuccessfully, as he whispered in her ear. "Watch it now. You wouldn't want to hurt yourself... leave that to someone else."

At last he slid his other hand down her arm and released her. He left without another word, leaving Arabella feeling terrified and filthy. She wasn't sure if Slythe was threatening her or just trying to scare her, but she refused to be alone with him any longer. She marched up to the front of the line next to Okram.

"Hello princess," Okram welcomed her arrival.

She was too shaken to reply. To her relief though, a low rumble fell from the sky, followed by rain. Walking was all Arabella could do from stopping herself from tilting her head back and raising her arms to let the rain wash the filthy feeling away.

* * *

They had found a clearing and set up camp a few hours later. The rain had shooed all small animals away into hiding, so there was no meat for the Beasts. Arabella had offered to make a soup using different grasses and bark for flavour, and although everyone agreed, she knew it wasn't what they wanted.

"I hate bark," complained Ladalee, glaring at Arabella if it were her fault, "it always gets stuck between my fangs."

"Doesn't meat get stuck in your fangs as well?" the sentence slipped out of Arabella's mouth before she could help it. She had mumbled, but all of the Beasts picked it up.

"Well it's not like you've ever had meat before!" Ladalee stumbled with a response.

"You should have it," Slythe said calmly, "meat, I mean." He was looking at his soup as he spoke, but Arabella could still see his uncanny smile that played with his thin mouth.

"No," Arabella said flatly, "I've never had it before. I don't want it."

"Haven't you learned it's good to try something new?" Okram asked, "You're going to eat meat and some time before we get to the Kingdome."

"No," repeated Arabella, "I don't want it."

"That doesn't matter," replied Okram, "you're going to eat some whether you like it or not. But I know you'll like it."

"I don't want it! Why are you trying to force me to eat it? If I don't eat your dead animal then there's more for you."

"See," Okram spoke straightforwardly, "if you call it _dead animal_ then you'll never want to try it. Just don't think of it like that and you'll love it. Usually Beasts don't mind calling it a dead animal, but I suppose you may be an exception."

This conversation was making Arabella's stomach churn uneasily, like a mix of nausea and... hunger? "Stop it," she mumbled, "I don't want it."

"Oh yes you do."

"No, I don't!"

"Would you stop it?" Keeble suddenly stood up to his feet, his white eyes large. "She doesn't want to eat meat, okay? Don't give her any, Okram." He looked directly at Okram as he spoke with complete seriousness. Something about Keeble's tone told Arabella that he and Okram had had this conversation before.

Okram just rolled his eyes. "Looks like someone's in a bad mood tonight..." he began mumbling. As he did, a sudden flash in the forest caught Arabella's eye. Slythe must have seen the same thing because he suddenly jumped up to his full height.

"Shut up," he hissed, and everyone did so. The trees began to whisper in excitement as there was another flash that almost sounded like galloping. Okram quickly threw his soup onto the fire, washing it out. They were swallowed by darkness and for a moment Arabella was blind.

It was terrifying, the feeling of blindness. Everything was impossibly silent except for your breathing, which seemed to echo loudly. Arabella shifted her eyes back and forth until slowly her vision improved. First, everything looked like blobs and she could hardly make out what anything was. But then things began to fit together, like a puzzle, and she could see the five Beasts in front of her. Okram, Keeble, Ladalee, Slythe, and...

And then she screamed. The fifth _thing_, whatever it was, lunged for her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see something else was as well. A body tackled her to the ground, and there was the swish of galloping hooves near her head. A hand suddenly grabbed onto her and yanked her up to her feet.

Okram let out a roar, which was followed by what sounded like clashing swords. Everything was too dark and too much of a blur to understand what was going on, so Arabella just let herself be dragged after whoever had hold of her. There was a sound of pots and bowls being knocked over behind her, and she turned around just to see the silhouette of another monster that had appeared. It raised itself up onto its hind legs, and Arabella was very sure she was about to be trampled.

She felt herself be released by the hand and was then surprised to hear the monster scream. It screamed it agony before falling to the ground, where various slashing sounds and grunts followed. A few other cries from the other creatures followed, and then the sound of hooves disappeared back into the forest.

Everything was silent.

They monsters had gone.

Breathing hard, Arabella didn't dare move. After a few minutes, a light appeared. Glancing over her shoulder, Arabella realized Ladalee had lightened a lantern. Her face was hard and serious. Slythe was nearby, holding a sword in his hand and still standing in a ready position. Okram was a few feet behind, out of breath and bleeding from one arm. He didn't notice the gash though; no one did.

They were all looking behind Arabella. She quickly snapped her head around.

It was a centaur, or it had been. The half-man, half-horse was now dead. He had been slit across his stomach, and then stabbed a number of times throughout the rest of his lower horse body. His face though, was completely intact. His curly brown hair fell into his eyes, which were stuck open. But the most terrifying part was that his face resembled that of a Beauty.

The scent of blood wafted up to Arabella's nose and she suddenly felt dizzy. It took all of her strength to pull her eyes away from the centaur's dead ones. When she did, they landed on Keeble, who was standing behind the dead creature. He and the sword he held were both splattered in blood; the blood of the centaur. Arabella's head began to spin and everything suddenly felt very light and whimsical.

_How strange_, she thought as her eyes began to flutter, _to see Keeble with some color on him_.

And then she fainted.


	7. Chapter 7

Arabella's eyes fluttered open to complete darkness. Panic rushed through her at the realization of not knowing where she was, as well as the memories that flooded the space behind her eyes. They had been attacked by centaurs. Most of it had been a terrifying blur, such as the number of centaurs and who had exactly been saving her life. The most vivid part though, was Keeble, who stood next to the creature he had killed, splattered with its blood.

Calming down slightly, Arabella realized she must have been put into one of the trailers. She scrunched her nose at the strange smell that filled the wooden thing, and she got up to find her way to the door. Tripping slightly as she made her way to the door, she could hear Okram's loud voice, as well as someone else's she didn't recognize.

Finding the door, she pushed it open, only not very far. As soon as she had opened it a crack, it had been slammed back into place as if someone were leaning on it.

"Who's there?" she tried to push again, but the door wouldn't budge. "Let me out," she spoke a little louder.

"Shut up," came the voice of Ladalee, "don't move or make a sound. This is for your own good."

_My own good,_ Arabella thought in slight amusement, _she must be serious. Better not get her angry._

With light feet, she made her way to the other side of the trailer. She found a crack between two slabs of wood and peered through. Her vision was limited, but she could hear enough to understand what was going on. It looked like they had a guest.

Another Beast.

"Sure you don't want anything for your trip?" Okram asked the Beast, whose back was to the trailer Arabella hid in, "We've got some fresh meat if you want any."

She couldn't hear the Beast respond, for his voice was quiet, unlike Okram's. Nonetheless, Arabella tried to strain her ears. As she did, the strange smell in the trailer continued to waft up to her nose. She couldn't make out what it was, for she had never smelt anything like it, but it made her energized, excited and hungry for something she couldn't name. If only there was light in the trailer, she might be able to tell what it was.

"Well, have a good trip Thorix," Okram patted the Beast's back, "Keeble, go grab his stuff will you? No need to make our guest work."

Throix, their guest, let out low laugh, turning sideways to watch Keeble follow orders. He then leaned forwards and whispered something to Okram, laughing again. It surprised Arabella at how angry Okram almost seemed at whatever had he had been told, but he let out a rather false laugh anyways.

Thorix then let out a loud whistle. A wolf, which must have been under the trailer, ran right past Arabella's eyes and towards his master. Thorix finally turned around to greet the wolf, and giving Arabella chance to see what he looked like.

It was like his forehead had been smushed into his head, forcing his large jaw to stick out. His dark hair on the top of his head was tied back into a long ponytail, and he had a small beard around his mouth. Two large fangs stuck up out of his bottom jaw, almost reaching his flattened nose. His eyes were long and narrow and a piercing ice blue, which were easily noticed against his dark skin. It was easy to tell just by his looks that he was a deadly and evil Beast, nothing like the ones Arabella had met up with.

Time passed and Thorix and his wolf were gone. At last, Ladalee opened the door to the trailer.

"Who was that?" Arabella asked quickly, full of energy, "I heard his name was Thorix, but do you actually know him?"

Ladalee smirked. "Every creature has heard of Thorix, although I suppose you have lived a sheltered life."

"What makes him so notorious?"

"He's dangerous," Ladalee licked her cracked lips, "brilliant and dark and wicked and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Luckily he is a Beast, so he has nothing against other Beasts. We had to keep you in here though –"

"To save me from him, right?" Arabella thought she had finished Ladalee's sentence.

"Actually, to save ourselves." Corrected Ladalee, simply, "If any Beast knew we had you with us, they'd probably kill us to get to you. I would rather not be killed by the dangerous Thorix, thank you very much."

"Oh," Arabella responded after a moment. It hadn't occurred to her how other Beasts would have thought about these thief Beasts having her. She had been told that most Beasts would have just eaten her by now, and the thought as to why she was still alive bothered her again.

"Now move," Ladalee said firmly, "I have to get breakfast ready." She motioned behind Arabella, making her turn around.

Now that there was light in the trailer, she was able to see everything fully – although part of her wished she was still stuck in the dark. In the corner of the trailer, tied upside down to the top of the trailer, was the centaur.

But even more disturbing, was the fact that Arabella suddenly realized it was the smell of the centaur's blood that she had been craving.

* * *

"What are you up to?"

Keeble climbed up onto the top of the trailer, but Arabella hardly noticed. She was too preoccupied, her green eyes staring up at the sky which had turned an eerie sort of grey-green. She had hardly moved from her lying position since they had packed up camp and started travelling again.

"I brought you some food," Keeble tried again as he unfolded a napkin to a mountain of blackberries. "I ran ahead and found a large bush of them."

Arabella did not respond. If there were an awkward tension in the air, she did not notice. A dark mood had swallowed her body whole, but she couldn't quite say why or where it had come from. The wind had died into an uncanny silent, and the irritating, humid feeling hung in the air. This was the type of day Arabella needed to match her mood.

"Are you alright?" Keeble finally asked after a moment. He seemed slightly hurt that his blackberries had gone untouched.

Arabella sat up. "I'm just waiting for a storm." She spoke softly, effortlessly. Without hesitation she grabbed a blackberry and popped it into her mouth. She bit down hard, and her teeth sliced in half easily. It was the first time the taste and texture of fruit hadn't been enough.

It was the first time she hadn't been satisfied.

Keeble took in a deep breath. "I'd like to apologize," he suddenly said, dropping his pale eyes, "for how I behaved last night. I dragged you around and tackled you to the ground –"

"You saved me. I don't see the need for an apology."

"Yes, but after that. The centaur I killed and the look on your face when you realized what I had done." Keeble looked up again. There was a strange look of regret on his face, almost as if he had turned the page of a book that was meant to stay closed.

"I suppose I must have been slightly terrified at the sight." Arabella said simply.

"More than terrified," he tried to explain, "it was... would you even call it terror? There was a look in your eyes that startled me, because it was like something else had taken you over."

Arabella had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. None of what Keeble was saying made sense to her. He just sounded ridiculous. "Funny, I don't recall any of this at the time. I didn't feel like anyone but myself before I fainted."

"I suppose it's good that you didn't notice then." Keeble nodded, "But I'll have you know that I promise to make sure you never encounter what you saw last night again. For your sake."

She couldn't help it. The fury was rising in her chest and spat out of her mouth. "What are you doing Keeble?" she snapped, "What are you trying to say? I have no idea what you're talking about or why you've suddenly decided to be all friendly with me, when before you were completely cold. You think that it was something that had taken me over, but I think, with this change of attitude, that something had taken_ you_ over!"

She must have sounded absurd, Arabella was sure, but the words just came tumbling out until she was left breathless. There was a moment when Keeble looked hurt and confused, and as the fury died in Arabella it was quickly replaced with guilt. Before she could apologize, Keeble's face hardened and he stood up.

"So you'd rather I be all cold towards you then?" he sounded angry and humiliated, "Then I will. I'll be as Beast-like as you like. Just be careful what you wish for, Princess."

_Princess_. He said it in complete mockery just before he jumped off of the trailer, leaving Arabella feeling mortified. After a pause, she lunged for a blackberry and stuck it in her mouth, chewing hard. Then another, and another, until her stomach suddenly growled.

She was hungry, no, starving.

And something told her no pile of blackberries would help.


	8. Chapter 8

Days dragged on. The rainy season was upon them. On a certain day hot and humid day, it had been raining so hard that it was impossible to see five feet ahead. Okram had decided for everyone to take a break, stating that the rain would calm down eventually. He was right, but the Beasts were all so wet and exhausted that he decided to call it a day early.

Arabella sat on a damp log, underneath a tarp that stuck out from a trailer. Although she was glad to be dry, part of her was envious as she watched the Beasts work in the rain by setting up tents. Okram had not allowed Arabella to get wet after being in the same room of a dead centaur for more than a few hours.

"You smell like a dead animal now," he had told her, "which means you don't smell like your mixed-blooded self. It will keep creatures away for a while, so that means no getting wet, or you'll wash the scent off."

Feeling grimy, Arabella stretched out her arm just to the end of the tarp so that a few drops of water rolled off and hit her hand. The skin on her hand that was lucky enough to get wet seemed to relax slightly. Arabella sighed.

As she did, a figure arose from the rain, approaching her. The figure became clearer until Arabella realized it was Slythe. His long hair was slicked to his face and his thin lips curled into a smile. His black eyes were so shiny that they looked wet, almost as if he had been staring up to the falling sky with his eyes wide open and unblinking.

"I've been told to give you your task," he said in his silky voice that made Arabella shudder, "There is some dry wood in the trailer. Go get it and start a fire up under the tarp. We'll spend the rest of the day here." He paused. "You do know how to start a fire, right?"

"Of course I know how to start a fire," Arabella retorted, slightly offended. It didn't seem that Slythe had heard her though, because he was glancing around outside of the tarp. Water dripped down his face as he shifted his eyes back to Arabella.

"Quite a storm, isn't it." He said, "You can't see anything out there. It's almost like there's only the two of us left in this grey world."

His eyes flashed, startling Arabella as it looked like he was about to take a step towards her. She was about to jump up and quickly say something about starting a fire, but before she could, Keeble appeared.

"Slythe," his voice boomed, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be setting up your tent."

"Just giving her some orders from Okram," Slythe mumbled, but he didn't dare say more and sulked back out into the rain. Arabella watched him until he vanished into the blur of blue and grey. She finally looked up at Keeble, who continued to stand out in the rain.

"Want to come under the tarp?" she offered timidly, "You could dry off for a few minutes." That was the first thing she had said to him in days since their conversation on top of the trailer. No one had noticed Keeble giving Arabella the cold shoulder, but she just assumed that was because they were all Beasts.

Keeble stared at Arabella coldly, although it was hard for him to do. Her green eyes were the brightest and more colourful things he had seen all day. Finally, he responded with, "What's the point? I'll only have to go out in the rain again."

He walked away. Arabella was left alone once again, sure that it had started to rain even harder. Water hit the tarp so loudly that she had to cover her ears. It sounded like breaking glass.

* * *

When Arabella awoke the next morning, she was relieved to find it had stopped raining. The sun had only just started to rise and no one else seemed to be awake. Walking a feet few away from the campsite, her bare feet sinking in the damp moss, Arabella let out an excited gasp, for what was in front of her was utterly beautiful.

There was a lake, smooth like dark blue crystal. The lake seemed to go on forever, surrounded by dramatic hills. _I wonder if the Kingdom of Beauties is just beyond those hills_, thought Arabella as she walked to the water's edge. A light wind blew off of the lake, practically calling her.

Glancing to her side, she spotted a dark, twisted tree with bare branches that dangled over the lake. It was so thick that it must have been just about one thousand years old. Arabella walked lightly over to it, feeling like she was floating. Glancing up at the tree only briefly, she grabbed onto the lowest branch and hoisted herself up.

The lowest branch was the thickest off all branches, and went out straight over the water. It was easy to walk along, especially since there were no other branches on it to trip over. It was almost like it was made to walk along.

"Now why would this branch have no leaves," Arabella wondered out loud.

"Because it's so old," a female, breathy voice responded, making Arabella jump and almost lose her balance. Before she could make a sound, a figure emerged from the water. "It's so old, just trying to keep itself alive, that it does not bother producing leaves," continued the creature.

Arabella's mouth practically hung open as she stared at this stunning creature. She looked like a Beauty, with her hair brown and tangled into a wild mess. Her skin was the color of cream and her almond-shaped eyes sparkled the same color blue as the water. A dress of what looked like to made of the lightest threats hung delicately off of her long, thin body.

"What are you?" whispered Arabella. She would have thought it was a Beauty had it not been floating above the water.

The creature's shapely lips smiled. "My name is Naomi," she spoke slowly, "I am a water nymph."

_A water nymph¸_ thought Arabella in amazement. She had never heard of one of those before, but the creature was so calm and beautiful that she did not care that she was unsure of what it was.

"What is your name?" asked Naomi.

"Arabella," she responded before she could stop herself. For a moment, Arabella froze, unsure if she should have given away who she was. But the water nymph made no movement as to realizing who she was. Arabella thought hopefully that maybe water nymphs hadn't heard of her, and she relaxed slightly.

"Do you live in the forest?" Naomi's voice was so smooth it could have been the world's softest fabric.

"No," responded Arabella, "I'm... travelling. And I suppose you live in the lake?"

"Why yes. My kingdom has no name, but it surely the most beautiful kingdom."

"I'm sure it," Arabella said, almost in a trance. Images of what the stunning world under water must of looked like floated in her mind, making her smile.

Naomi suddenly giggled. "Your teeth," she was referring to Arabella's fangs. This made Arabella's hand shoot up and cover her mouth, embarrassed. Naomi giggled again. "No, don't hide them. They're beautiful."

Arabella slowly dropped her hand. She had never been told that before. "Really?" she felt her cheeks redden.

Naomi nodded. "Would you like to see my kingdom? Would you like to see where I'm from?"

Arabella frowned slightly. "You mean your kingdom under water? I don't think I can hold my breath that long."

"This is a different lake though. It's magic. You don't have to breathe to live under this water." Naomi held out her hand, "Come with me Arabella. It's even more beautiful under water then you could imagine."

She smiled again. "I would love to, but..." Arabella glanced back at the campsite. She could hear someone moving inside their tent, signalling that the Beasts were stirring. Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across Arabella's face. "I would love to see your kingdom," she told Naomi. Taking a step forwards, she began to raise her hand to the water nymph.

"Arabella?"

She turned around to see Keeble back at the campsite. At first he just looked confused to see her standing in a tree, but then his look changed to terror as he realized what was about to happen. "Arabella, don't!" he yelled.

Before Arabella could open her mouth, the water nymph lunged forwards and grabbed onto her wrist. She yanked Arabella off of the tree and the two of them fell towards the lake. Falling through the water felt like Arabella was smacking into stone, and suddenly all went black.


	9. Chapter 9

She couldn't see anything, but she could feel. Oh, what Arabella could feel; everything so overwhelming that she just wanted to give up right there and then. She could feel Naomi's grip tighten around her wrist, nails digging in so hard that Arabella could have sworn they were growing. She could feel the water wrap around her body, so cold it cut her skin like thorns. The water filled her lungs, her mouth, her nose, her ears, her eyes. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't. She wouldn't have been able to hear anything anyways.

_Do not struggle,_ Naomi hissed, only it didn't sound like Naomi. No longer was it soft and silky, but brittle and harsh, like grit. _Do not think about air. Do not think about words or sounds or anything on land. Just accept. Do not struggle. _

There was no air in her lungs at all. Arabella felt like she was about to explode even though she was empty. She shook violently but could not escape the water nymph's grasp. Pain shot to Arabella's head as her heart suddenly stopped beating. She was sure her body was about to go limp, but then she saw something.

In the distance, it was a pale, green light. It got brighter the closer she was dragged to it. And suddenly, Arabella began to see. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that the beautiful Naomi had changed into a sickly creature, unlike anything she had ever imagined. But she hardly noticed her as they approached what must have been the Kingdom with no name.

It stood, tall and ancient, made out of dead coral and stones. Large rusted metals bits stuck out from it, as if they were the nails holding it together. It looked positively terrifying, and Arabella had to avert her eyes to the ground to stop herself from shuddering, only to soon regret it.

Below her were bones; millions of bones, skulls, skeletons that belonged to Beauties, Beasts and creatures from land. Skin hung off some of the bones, slowly melting into the water. A large round object caught Arabella's eye. It rocked slowly back and forth in the current of the lake until it finally rolled over, until Arabella finally realized it was the head of a Beauty. Its mouth hung open, its lifeless eyes stared directly at her.

She tried to scream, she tried and tried to make a sound to express her terror, for fear had replaced all oxygen and she desperately needed to let it out. Only no sound escaped Arabella, and slowly it dawned on her.

She was under water – she should have been dead, only for whatever reason she had been kept alive, or half alive. Arabella had lost all breath, her heart had stopped, but she was still awake, only unable to hear or make a sound.

_So you understand_, Naomi suddenly chuckled wickedly, like she had access into Arabella's thoughts, _any land creature who is taken here is kept half-alive. _

But why, Arabella wanted to know, why? I do not understand.

_To torture you,_ Naomi replied, _to eat you, to do whatever we want with you. There are no secrets in the Kingdom with no name, Arabella. Your thoughts are open to everyone here. You keep nothing to yourself. I suggest you stop thinking and just accept._

Arabella tried to squirm away again as they approached the deadly kingdom, but was unsuccessful. She had never felt so helpless. And despite the water nymph's warning, she could not stop her brain from thinking.

_So you can hear everything I think, _Arabella asked, _why does that happen?_

Keeping her face forwards, Naomi responded. _We were punished, the water nymphs. They stole our souls from us but kept us alive to suffer. We eat but can never satisfy our hunger. We drink but can never satisfy our thirst. We wish to speak but cannot make sound. We are incapable of making new life, incapable of dying. We are unable to contain secrets because all our thoughts are the only way to communicate. Any unorthodox thought, and we are tortured. _

If Arabella could, she was sure she would have whimpered. _But why? What did you do to deserve this?_

_We did nothing! _Naomi's thought shouted, _We did absolutely nothing but be forced to fight in the war. And we lost. And we were punished because of it. Because of our failure. Because we were not the perfect allies they had hoped for._

_Who did this to you?_ Arabella was desperate to know.

_Beauties! Those fowl, wicked creatures did this to us. _

Arabella's body tensed. _You lie,_ her thought echoed loudly, _you're lying to me! The Beauties would never do that. They're peaceful and would never inflict this life upon you!_

At this, Naomi suddenly turned her head back to Arabella, making Arabella choke on nothing she was so terrifying. Naomi had become a somewhat of a skeleton. Her cheeks were hallowed and her nose was disintegrating. Dark circles sagged below her eyes, and her jaw hung open as if it were loose.

_But they did, _her thought cackled, _the Beauties did. You would hear if I weren't telling the truth. I cannot lie, Arabella. _

Arabella squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out the image that was before her. She was so terrified that she wanted to die. She would rather die at that very moment then be tortured by such monsters. Naomi's dark chuckle told Arabella that she had heard her. Arabella knew there was so escape. She may have been awake and moving, but in truth, she was very much like the dead.

* * *

"Okram! Okram, Okram wake up!"

Keeble shook the Beast's tent and yelled until he heard a groan from inside. He could hear Ladalee and Slythe stirring in their tents as well, but neither of them mattered. A giant claw belonging to Okram emerged from the tent, and the half-asleep Beast crawled out.

"What?" he asked, but hardly heard himself before Keeble started shouting again.

"Arabella. They've got Arabella! Okram, they've got Arabella."

"Who's got her?" Ladalee and Slythe were suddenly behind Keeble. He turned so that he could face all of them.

"The water nymphs!" he exclaimed, "I saw one, I saw it pull her into the lake!"

"Water nymphs?" Okram asked slowly. There was a pause as Keeble nodded, followed by a terrifying roar from Okram. His jaw opened wide and he roared so loudly it shook the trees above. "What the hell does it take to keep that thing safe? Fuck, if I had known it would have been so difficult I would have just killed her myself by now!"

He continued to holler so loudly that the other creatures around him had to cover their ears until he finally stopped. His chest rose up and down slowly, breathing hard. Every so slowly, Ladalee lowered her arms and spoke softly.

"Okram? Okram you promised that if we helped you with this idea of yours, that all would be well. You said we'd be able to rule everything again. You said –"

"I know what I said!" snapped Okram. He suddenly lowered his voice, trying to calm down. "I know what I said," he repeated, his broad shoulders dropping.

Slythe's tongue suddenly flickered angrily and he stepped towards Okram aggressively. "We've been risking our fucking lives for you and your silly dream Okram. We could have left you like that after you said you wanted to use Arabella to get ahead of the Beauties. And for what? You're just going to leave her there?"

"I never said I was going to leave her there!" Okram raised his voice again.

"Then what the hell are you trying to say?" Slythe's eyes were flashing, and he was so close to Okram that it looked like they were about to pounce on each other.

"Hey!" Keeble suddenly shouted, stepping between them, "Get a hold of yourselves. It doesn't matter what the plan is anymore because we've got to save Arabella. Without her, who cares about some plan?"

There was a silence as the three Beasts all eyed each other sheepishly. At last Okram opened his oversized jaw and boomed, "Well I can't swim."

"Me neither," Ladalee followed.

"Neither can I," Slythe said immediately after.

Keeble's mouth almost dropped open. "None of you can swim?" he asked in disbelief.

"It's not the nature of a Beast to swim," Okram explained with a shrug, "we rule the land, not the water. Only a Beauty tries to do both."

"Well, Keeble?" Slythe asked with a dangerous smirk, "You're not a Beast. Can you swim?"

Keeble's cheeks coloured slightly with anger. Turning sharply on his heel, he marched towards the water's edge without a word. He could hear the three Beasts trying to keep up with him.

"Keeble," Okram called after him, "Keeble, wait! Can you swim?"

Turning to face them, he nodded slightly. "Yeah, I can swim. Not well, I may add, but enough to find Arabella. And I know what to do. I know all about these water nymphs. I can bring her back."

"But how long will it take?" asked Ladalee nervously, "How long do we wait until we know you're..."

"Dead," finished Slythe, a sinister smile playing with the corner of his mouth.

Keeble glared at him. "Wait for me," he explained, "if I'm not back by the morning I suppose you can leave."

"Stop being overdramatic!" Okram cried, "We'll wait for you, you can bet on that."

Okram grinned reassuringly at Keeble. Keeble half-smiled back before turning to face the lake. With a deep breath, he dove into dark water, so cold it felt like it was cutting his skin like paper.

* * *

A/N – should I raise the rating at all? I'm not sure, so let me know! Thanks!

Vintage88


	10. Chapter 10

He was missing an eye. The large, male water nymph stared at Arabella with pale grey eye, while his other one had been sewed shut. Still in the outskirts of the Kingdom, Arabella was tied up with water weeds. She stared back fiercely at the male, but her insides felt like they were being attacked by butterflies. And the nymph knew it.

_She looks tasty,_ the male stated to Naomi, _although not very big. I suppose we could fatten her up._

_I won't eat. I won't eat anything you give me!_ Arabella thought instantly, only to be reminded that her thoughts could be heard by anyone around her.

The male chuckled. _What a fierce one. The ones who always put up a fight are the ones who taste the best._

_Not that you can taste anything,_ Arabella couldn't help but think, remember what Naomi had told her. The male growled at her, his yellow teeth decaying.

_Samson,_ Naomi could suddenly be heard, _we can't just eat her. She's the one. It's Arabella. We could use her to any advantage of ours. We must speak to King._

_Why should King know of her?_ Samson roared, _It's not like he's done anything to ever help us. He is one of the reasons we are like this; he is why we are practically the living dead! That selfish monster will probably just kill her for himself instead of trying to use her to help us._

Naomi trembled slightly. _I wish you wouldn't yell at me, _her thought was so soft that Samson almost looked like he wasn't sure he had heard her correctly. _I don't want to get caught. Please, we have to give her to him or else he'll find out. We'll be tortured. Please don't let that happen again._

The water nymph's face was in slight embarrassment, clearly showing that she wished she couldn't be heard. But there was nothing stopping her thoughts from rolling out. Samson's dead face looked terrified for a second, almost as if memories he wished to forget were passing through behind his eyes. It was dead silent until Arabella began to think again.

_Have you been tortured before? What did you do?_

Samson snapped his head so quickly that his neck cracked. _That is none of your business you whore!_ He thought ferociously, _Absolutely none of your damn business!_

_I'm sorry,_ Arabella squeezed her eyes shut, _I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I can't help it!_

_Then you better learn to help it before you lose that pretty little head of yours!_ Samson suddenly swam off. _I'm off to get King. Hope you're happy._

_Yes,_ Naomi seemed to sigh with relief. Samson made no gesture showing he had heard her.

Arabella's thoughts were unstoppable. _Why were you tortured? What ever did you do?_

Naomi snapped at her. _Because some creature heard us thinking of how much we hated King. It's a sign of rebellion. They tortured us because they cannot kill us. We cannot die!_

_Well how long have you been living like this for?_

_Almost a century._ Naomi paused before smirking darkly, _Stupid Princess; you need to learn to control your head._

Being called Princess instantly reminded Arabella of Okram. How strange that they both call her Princess.

_Who's Okram?_ Naomi asked.

Terrified that she would give away who she had sided with, Arabella shut her eyes once again and concentrated hard on two words, repeating them over and over. _No one, no one, no one, no one..._

_Shut up! Who's Okram? I bet he's one of your servants or something._

_... no one, no one, no one, no one..._

Naomi suddenly snarled, covering her ears with her grey hands. Her long, yellow nails dug into her putrid skin, but she didn't even notice. _Shut up would you?_

_... no one, no one, no one, no one..._

With a terrible scream, Naomi suddenly swam a few feet away from Arabella. The water nymph sat down on the sandy ground with irritation. Arabella continued to repeat the two words, getting slower and slower until she stopped, deciding that Naomi couldn't hear her from that distance. Nonetheless, she tried the best to keep her thoughts as quiet as possible.

_Come find me. _Arabella dropped her head slowly, trembling slightly. _Something... anything... come find me. Please._

* * *

_She doesn't look like a Beast._

This was King's first thought as he stood in front of Arabella with Samson and Naomi behind him. He was large and muscular with scars and gashes all over his rotten skin. His face was sharp, skin pulled tight across his bones. As he scratched below one of his narrow grey eyes, Arabella noticed that one of his fingers was missing.

_I thought she was supposed to be half-Beast, half-Beauty!_ King's anger rose quickly, _She doesn't look like a Beast!_

_But she's not a Beauty._ Samson responded quickly, _You can tell she is not a Beauty. There is something imperfect and wrong with her, and that is her Beast half. _

Arabella cringed. _Why is the Beast half immediately the imperfect half?_ She tried to keep her thought as quiet as possible as it escaped her, but of course all three water nymphs heard. King suddenly smirked and began to approach her. As he did, he repeated the word_ Beauty_, as making sure not to let his real thoughts be heard. He crouched down to Arabella who was still tied up. _Beauty, Beauty, Beauty..._

Arabella clenched and unclenched her jaw until her thought yelled, _Stop saying that! I'm not a Beauty. I know I'm not a Beauty!_

King laughed. _You see? Even you know your Beast half is the imperfect part. It is the half that makes you wrong in so many ways. It is what stops you from being anything close to a Beauty, pure, a princess; you're just a mixed-blood_

She hardly heard his thoughts as her own exploded. _Don't call me a Beauty, don't call me pure, don't mock me by calling me a princess! I know I'm not any of those. Stop it, stop it, stop it! I know I'm not a Beauty!_

King, Samson and Naomi all laughed at her as she squirmed with her thoughts. Arabella wanted to scream, yell, roar, anything to block out the sounds of her flooding thoughts. How was she supposed to just stop thinking? It was impossible; truly impossible.

_Oh, shut up now,_ one of the nymphs's stated and covered her head with a sack. This shocked Arabella so much that her thoughts calmed down to a low hum of fright. With a tiny gasp, she felt herself being picked up and draped over the shoulders of most likely Samson.

As they walked, the sound of the three creatures repeating one word could be heard. It was what they did to stop from being heard. Naomi repeated the simple word _rock_ over. Samson repeated the word_ walk._ But it was the two word that King said with such excitement that made Arabella's blood run cold for some reason, and she wished terribly that he would choose some other word to repeat. But of course, that wasn't an option, and King continued.

_The princess, the princess, the princess..._

* * *

After being dropped to the floor, the sack was ripped off of Arabella's head. Her whole body was sore and she did not move. The longer she lay there though, she began to realize that all was not quiet. There was a low of hum of words being repeated; many, many words. Slowly lifting up her head and gazing around, Arabella froze. It was like she had become too terrified to speak, only under the lake, she was too terrified to think.

She had been put onto a wooden platform, almost like a stage, and in the audience were about two hundred water nymphs; two hundred living dead staring at her. Ever so slowly, their repeated words grew softer and softer, and were replaced by her name.

_What is that... no... it can't be... but it is... it's Arabella... I thought she was a story... no she was just a long kept secret... it's really her... Arabella, Arabella, Arabella!_ Her name was being thought so loudly that Arabella winced, her ears in pain. Finally, King came from behind her.

_Silence, all! I know this is an exciting time. It is true. The mixed-blood has been brought under land to our Kingdom. I have found Arabella!_

The audience grew even louder. Only Arabella could hear Naomi and Samson curse angrily at King behind her for taking their credit. She was unable to look back at them though, for her green eyes were glued onto the living corpses that stood in front of her. For a brief moment, Arabella spotted a young girl. If she had been pretty at one time, it was unable to tell.

_Has she been around for nearly a century as well?_ The thought escaped her, but no one seemed to hear.

King continued. _Just think of what we could do with this girl! Beauties want her – for what, I do not know, but I know that they have been looking for her. And now I have found her. We will be able to sell her to the Beauties. Sell her for our freedom and power!_

Arabella could hardly listen. She did not understand what King was speaking of. Her whole body shook with fear, and she felt she may just collapse. The dead eyes of water nymphs eyed her hungrily. Desperate for escape, she tried to off the side of the stage, only to find that more nymph's had gathered. Just as she was about to turn away, something caught her eye.

It was quick and sudden and so unexpected that Arabella hardly believed it. But no, she saw it again, just behind some ruins. It was a flash of white.

_Keeble!_ Arabella's eyes widened.

_What was that? _Naomi snapped, and Arabella dropped her head again, repeating _nothing, nothing, nothing..._It seemed to satisfy Naomi, and once the female had back paying attention to King, Arabella glanced over to the side again.

Nothing.

He was gone. Had she imagined it? No, she was sure, Arabella was so sure it had been Keeble. If he wasn't there, it was for the better. For him to help her escape, she'd have to get away from the public eye; away from where everyone could see her.

So she started to scream in her head. _Get me out of here! Ahh, what do you want with me? Just let me go! Please, let me go!_

The audience seemed amused by her sudden outburst. Without hesitation, Arabella squeezed her eyes shut and opened her mouth wide. She began wriggling frantically on the ground, as if trying to snap the water weeds that bound her small body. _Let me go! Let me go! Ahh, please, just let me go!_

King began to stumble on his thoughts, and the audience began to shift. A couple thoughts from nymph's just wishing Arabella would shut up drifted up onto stage. Arabella began to think even louder, if that was possible.

_For God's sake!_ King suddenly twisted around to face her, _Would something please get rid of her? Just something, please, throw her in the cages until we decide what we want to do with her!_

Within the next second, a pair of dead arms grabbed onto Arabella. They dragged her off of the stage and away from the crowd. While one water nymph kept hold of her, the second one opened up exactly what the King had asked for – a cage.

They tossed her in, making her land on her face. Despite the pain, Arabella was relieved. She was away from where all those dead eyes could see her. Now if only Keeble could find her! Watching around her, she sat down in the cage while the two guards stood watch. Keeping her thoughts as secret as she could, Arabella continued to a word in her head.

_Keeble... Keeble... Keeble..._

* * *

A/N – I know, that was really long, but if you have any comments, questions, advice, please do so!

Vintage88


	11. Chapter 11

Above the water, the sun had once again been covered by clouds. The ones right overhead were puffy and a pale grey; no more threatening than sheep. It was the clouds in the distance, dark and eerie and piled high on top of one another, which should have been watched carefully for signs of a storm. When Ladalee mentioned this to Okram though, the Beast merely grunted in response. He had not moved from the water's edge since Keeble had dived in and just paced back and forth nervously.

Back at the campsite, Ladalee stoked the fire while Slythe appeared out from the trees. He held a rabbit in his hands that he captured and killed.

"Good!" Ladalee exclaimed at the sight of the animal, "Meat, Okram's favourite." Before Slythe had time to respond, Ladalee had snatched the animal out of his hands. He froze for a moment before he hissed at her.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, "Give that back this instant. That's _my_ rabbit."

"Not anymore it's not," Ladalee retorted, oblivious to his fury, "I'm going to make a stew for Okram. Can't you see how nervous he is?"

The red-headed Beast shuffled back and forth around the fire. Blood from the animal dripped onto one of her speckled fingers. She licked it off, the taste making a smile spread across her face. Slythe had to bite his own thin lip with his fangs to stop himself from pouncing on Ladalee.

"That's my rabbit," he repeated, black eyes narrowing.

Ladalee ignored him. "Okram must really want to complete this plan of him to be so nervous. I mean can you see how he anxious he is over there, worrying about not getting Arabella back? I've never seen him like this."

Slythe couldn't take it anymore; the sight of fresh meat hanging in front of him and the sound of Ladalee's voice. He stormed off without a word towards Okram. He couldn't believe how stupid Ladalee was! It wasn't the plan that Okram was so worried about, it wasn't Arabella he was so worried about, it was the albino.

It was Keeble; the only Beauty that Okram ever trusted; the only Beauty that Okram had admired like he was his own son; the only Beauty that Slythe had ever despised as much as he had now; the only Beauty that Slythe had not killed. The albino was the only reason why they were sitting there.

"Okram!" Slythe said loudly as he approached the large creature. Okram hardly seemed to notice Slythe's existence. "Okram, let us leave. Just forget about Keeble. You know as well as I do that he will not make it past those water nymphs; not when they are incapable of dying."

At this, Okram stopped his pacing. He turned towards Slythe, a look of fury across his face that could have paralyzed any weak creature with fright. Slythe was anything but weak though. Slythe was immune to the look.

"But Arabella," he continued, "Arabella will not be killed. She will be spared because of who she is. Back a few miles should be another lake. There will be mermaids or water spirits that can help us get Arabella back, unlike Keeble. If we make a deal with them, they will get the mixed-blood back and we can continue on with your plan."

For a moment, Okram said nothing. For a moment, it looked like he was about to consider Slythe's idea. And for a moment, the thought of having Keeble finally out of the picture made Slythe smirk. With a long inhale of breath, Okram began to speak. His voice was quiet and low, but full of rage and disgust towards Slythe.

"I'm going to pretend," he began slowly, "that I did not hear anything of what you just said. I am going to pretend that you never came over here. And you are going to pretend you never came up with such a sick idea full of betrayal. If I didn't need you, I would be ripping that smirk off of your face so that you could never suggest such an idea ever again, followed by ripping the rest of you into pieces so I'd never have to look at you again. But I do need you, so we're both going to pretend this conversation never happened."

After another hate-filled glare, Okram turned his back on Slythe. Feeling his face redden, Slythe turned sharply on his heel and walked quickly in the opposite direction. He stormed past Ladalee who asked him some question with probably an obvious answer, but he hardly heard her. And he walked back into the forest, walked in a dead straight line.

Furious and humiliated, he walked and walked, deeper into the woods with no place in mind. The fury continued to grow, grow until he thought he might drown in it. He stopped, breathing hard, and glaring at a tree that stood in his way. It was pale bark with dark green leaves, standing tall and beautiful. It reminded him of the albino.

"Keeble!" the Beast screamed as he lunched at it. He ripped his sword out of his belt and began slashing at the tree. He made deep marks in the bark until that wasn't enough. Dropping the sword, he started smashing into the tree with his shoulder, punching and ripping at it with his fangs and nails, until he heard a satisfying _crack_! The sound made a deep laugh escape him, and he attacked the strong tree with even more power.

Within no time, the tree was destroyed. It lay on the ground, bruised and defeated. Slythe stared at it, inhaling deeply, feeling calmer now. Startling him, there was the sudden sound of clapping behind him. He whipped around, ready to pounce on whatever had been spying on him, but he quickly stopped himself.

Standing next to his wolf, was Thorix. Slythe could hardly breathe, frozen at the sight of him.

"Bravo," Thorix continued to clap, "bravo. That little scene was impressive, dreadfully impressive. Bravo Slythe, Bravo."

And if it weren't for the wicked gleam of an idea in Thorix's frightfully blue eyes, Slythe might have of thought he was mocking him.

* * *

__

He's not coming. I didn't really see him. He's not coming.

The thoughts poured softly out of Arabella. She didn't care if the guards could hear her, although from their reactions it didn't seem like they had. It did not matter though, of course, because after sitting, tied up in the cage for quite some time, Arabella realized that it must not have been Keeble she had seen.

She had only wanted it to be Keeble.

She rested her head against one of the cage's bars and closed her eyes, her black hair floating freely above in the water. Arabella felt tired; she missed being able to just walk on land and craved for the feeling of air in her lungs.

_Guards!_

The thought came out nowhere, causing Arabella's eyes to flutter open. She stared at the guards, who glanced around in confusion. They were unsure where the thought had come from, but soon it appeared again.

_Guards! What are you doing? King never ordered you to stay and watch Arabella. Why are you not celebrating with the rest of us?_

One of the guard's thoughts rose in volume and asked, _Who goes there? Who are you in relation with King?_

_Do you want King to have to come and order you to come to the celebration himself? This is the celebration of what could be our freedom! Why did you ever think he would allow you to miss it?_

The other guard took a step forwards and repeated, _Who are you in relation to King? Show yourself!_

But silence followed. The voice had disappeared and the guards eyed each other. _It is the celebration of our freedom_, one of them pointed out, _and think of what King could do to us if we do not show up and he becomes angry._

They continued their discussion in deep thought until they came to the conclusion to quickly check on the celebration. If it did not seem they were needed, they would return back to the cage. Bemused, Arabella watched them swim off. They disappeared, and Arabella thought she was alone. Then, suddenly, a white figure swam out from behind a rock.

_Keeble_! Her thought cried out.

_For Christ's sake, keep it down._ Keeble sounded angry at first, but his face suddenly softened. _Those guards aren't exactly the brightest are they? And God, it's good to see you're alright._ This was added quickly, softly, like it wasn't supposed to really be heard. Keeble quickly dropped his eyes, then grabbed onto one of the bars.

_These aren't that strong,_ he told Arabella, _they're old and weak from being under water for so long._ With a slight pause, he took his sword out from his belt. _Stand back,_ he warned before taking a swing at the cage. After several more attempts, he slashed enough of the cage to create an opening for Arabella. Relieved, she eagerly swam out.

_You're awfully quiet,_ Keeble told her.

She smiled weakly. _I'm not quite sure what to think. I'm just so grateful you showed up._

_You were scared,_ thought Keeble after a moment. Arabella nodded, deciding there was no use denying it. She then started to swim upwards, desperate to get out of the water. Keeble followed. They repeated one word in their head to keep their real thoughts to themselves, but the further they swam up, the quieter their thoughts sounded. With a slight pause, Arabella glanced backwards to get a last glance at the Kingdom with no name. Something else quickly distracted her.

_Keeble!_ Her thought screamed. King was just below her, with Samson not far behind. The hand with one missing finger grabbed onto Arabella's ankle and ripped her back through the water. _Help me,_ her thought screamed as she tried to swim against King's power. She was nothing against him.

Keeble pushed himself back down through the water and kicked King in the face. His grip loosened just enough to allow Arabella's foot to slip out of his grasp. She frantically began to swim back up to the surface, catching Keeble pulling out his sword from the corner of her eye. He slashed through the water, hitting King's arm.

King cried out, but Arabella hardly noticed. Samson had caught up to her and was pulling her down by the hem of her dress. She tried frantically to kick him in the chest, but the water nymph hardly noticed. Pulling back one of her hands, Arabella tried to slap him. She had used all of her might, but the water nymph only grinned back darkly at her.

Just then, Keeble appeared out from the dark and swung for one of Samson's feet. The water nymph screamed as the tendon on the back of his foot ripped, black blood floating up through the water.

_Swim Arabella, swim!_ Keeble ordered. He turned his back on her to continue fighting the two creatures from the water. As much as Arabella hated to leave him, she did as he said.

A weak swimmer, Arabella tried to pull herself through the water as quickly as she could. The water suddenly became wickedly cold, and her skin felt like it was being pecked at by pointy, sharp bird beaks. Then, to her surprise, her lungs began to scream at the negative amount of air they held. Knowing that that signalled the top of the lake was near, Arabella began to swim faster.

She was exhausted, but the light that shined through the water kept her going. And then, suddenly, she had made it. Emerging from the water, she splashed frantically, gasping for air. Okram yelled something, but she was concentrating so hard on keeping her head above water to breath she couldn't make out his words.

Okram ran into the water and lifted Arabella up. He placed her onto dry land and demanded, "Keeble, where's Keeble?"

"Keeble –" Arabella began, but had to turn over onto her hands and knees to spit up water that still sat in her lungs. As she vomited, she could hear Okram yell out once again. Very soon, Okram gently placed Keeble by Arabella's side. He was gasping for air as well.

Clear of water, Arabella turned back over. She was shaking and still breathing hard, but was about to speak anyways until Okram opened up his large mouth before she could.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he yelled at her, "What gave you the idea that talking to some creature you didn't know about was a good idea?" His voice was so loud that it vibrated throughout Arabella's frail body. "Keeble risked his God damn life for you, all because you had to talk to a fucking water nymph! Why the hell did you talk to a water nymph?"

"Because it looked like a Beauty," Arabella whimpered.

Okram roared. "Because it looked like a _Beauty_?"

Arabella was sure he would have continued to yell at her, but Keeble suddenly coughed and ordered, "Stop it Okram. Not now. Just stop it."

The Beast looked hurt for a moment. He stared at the two fragile creatures on the earth, still trying to satisfy their lungs with air. With a sigh, he turned and left them alone. A heavy silence followed.

Still shaking, Arabella whispered, "I'm sorry. Keeble I'm sorry... it looked like a Beauty –"

"Stop it Arabella," Keeble just said, "not now." He paused, taking another deep breath before adding, "But you have a lot to learn and understand about Beauties."

"What do you mean?" Arabella couldn't help but ask softly.

Keeble didn't answer. Arabella watched as his breathing steadied, and his chest rose up and down in a pattern. The exhausted albino had fallen asleep. Arabella sighed, for as much as she wanted to sleep, she knew there was too much on her mind to allow her.


	12. Chapter 12

Okram allowed Keeble to sleep in the next morning, leaving Arabella alone with the Beasts. The air was thick between her and three of them; Okram hardly said good morning to her while Ladalee would shoot her glares before laughing at her. Slythe kept to himself more than usual, deep in thought.

A little later, Okram emerged from the woods carrying a dead deer. There was plenty of meat to go around, but not even Okram tried to make Arabella eat it.

_Not that I would_, she quickly scolded herself at the thought, but her stomach felt hollow as she the smell of blood wafted up to her nostrils. Getting to her feet, she said softly that she was going to find some berries. No Beast signalled that they cared or had even heard her. Hesitating, Arabella slowly backed away from the fire until she reached the forest.

She walked slowly until the smell of campfire and sound of pots faded. Stopping, Arabella glanced around, noticing that there were no obvious edible plants in sight. She was sure that she would be able to find something to eat, but Arabella decided it was worthless. Nothing seemed to satisfy her hunger anymore; it was the bitter truth.

"And why are they mad at me anyways!" Arabella suddenly cried, fury rising, "How was I meant to have any idea about the water nymph when I've been isolated my whole life because of my damn, exiled, God forsaken mother!" She picked up a rock that was by her foot and whipped it front of her unconsciously. It hit the trunk of the tree, causing bark to go flying.

Standing there, breathless, Arabella stared at the chipped tree. Usually she would have been ashamed at herself for letting the fury take her over, but she didn't care any longer. Why should she hide who half of who she was, especially when she spent most of her days around Beasts? _And she was SO hungry..._

"... no thanks to Okram, that fat Beast," Arabella growled, cursing Okram for not offering her meat.

The wind picked up slightly, tickling the leaves in the trees and causing them to laugh at Arabella softly. She snapped her emerald eyes up at them, her black hair getting in her face.

_Arabella,_ the leaves tittered at her in their breathy voice, _Arabella look at you. You're by yourself, Arabella. You don't need them. You could run away and there's nothing stopping you._

"Shut up!" she screamed at them.

_But you're so hungry_, they teased her. _You could go back and get meat from those Beasts, but then they would have won._

Her body went stiff for a second. "They would have won what?" she demanded.

_They will win if you go back, they will win. They want you, they want to be theirs. If you go back, you will forget one half of you. They have a plan._

"I don't understand. What plan do you speak of?"

The leaves shook faster above her with excitement. _They have a plan, Princess Arabella._

"Don't call me that!" she screamed at them. She would have continued, but then something flashed by and the wind instantly died. All was silent.

The animal ran by again, and through the thickness of the forest, Arabella could tell it was some sort of dog. Instinct told her to crouch down, and she waited to see if the animal would run past again. If it were closer, she would pounce on it, and then... and then...

She could feel something coming closer to her. It felt like something was surrounding her from all directions, something more powerful than a dog. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and Arabella hunched her shoulders. The creature that had run by had vanished, but an overwhelming power was getting closer.

"Arabella?"

Jumping up, Arabella snapped around. Keeble stood behind her. "What were you doing?" he asked, his pale face beaming in amusement.

Arabella did not answer at first. She glanced around, feeling the power that had been closing in on her slowly drift back in disappointment. Slowly, Arabella let her eyes meet Keeble's. He was smiling at her, and something about the air around him calmed Arabella down. The fury melted away and her hunger subsided.

She was back to herself.

"Were you talking to someone?" he asked her another question.

Arabella felt her body heat up with embarrassment. "Just... just to the wind," she mumbled.

Keeble nodded as if he understood. "Ah, the wind and leaves do that. They join together to tease those below. I wouldn't believe most of what they say though."

At this, Arabella's face hardened. Every sound travelled through the wind; how could it be wrong? "I'm not quite sure I know who or what to believe anymore."

"I can help you then," Keeble exclaimed, "let me help you. Arabella, I think it's time you learned the truth behind Beauties."

* * *

A/N – so that was a short chapter, sorry! But I have to leave and I'll be gone for about the next three days. I would love some reviews when I come back though. Thanks!

Vintage88


	13. Chapter 13

They took their time as they walked further away from the campsite. Keeble was too lost in his thoughts to notice, but to Arabella, it was as if the grey day had frozen. There were no songs of the birds or buzz of bug wings. Even the wind had shushed the leaves, almost as if it were afraid it would miss bits of their conversation.

Arabella swallowed nervously as they reached a small clearing in the forest. Trees around them stood tall, forming almost a perfect circle. She gazed up in awe, faded light warming up her face. She glanced back at Keeble, who was wringing his hands nervously. Watching him carefully, it suddenly dawned on Arabella that she was about to be told a secret.

His secret.

"You were right, you know." Keeble began, facing Arabella. "The first day we met, you called me a Beauty. And I am. There was never really any use denying it, because I know I look like one... apart from the lack of color."

Keeble smiled faintly, as if trying to make it into some sort of joke. Although she returned the small gesture, Arabella could tell in his grey eyes that there was something much more to his story. Both their smiles melted quickly, but while Arabella's look was full of curiosity, Keeble's expression was clearly hurt.

"You scared me when you snapped at me," Arabella whispered to him, "you were so angry that I had said you were a Beauty. And I didn't understand why, because my whole life I've longed to just be a Beauty."

He arched his white eyebrows at this for a moment. "So apart from your mother, you've never lived with any other Beauties. You've never seen or been near the Kingdom of Beauties, correct?"

"Correct."

"Well I did. I lived in the Kingdom until I was seven. I haven't been there since."

"Why did you want to leave?"

At this question, Keeble's expression hardened. His eyes flashed angrily, dangerously. "I didn't want to leave. I was six; I had no idea what was outside the walls of the Kingdom. Despite what I had grown up with, it was still my home." He paused, clearly hesitating and second guessing himself if he really wanted to share his story.

"I was a freak, Arabella, considered a monster all because I was different from everyone else, all because I was an albino. There was no reason for my existence. Both of my parents were perfect, natural Beauties. For whatever reason, I was just born a mistake. I was taunted, discriminated, and beaten for all of my childhood until I was finally banished by the King."

Arabella's insides churned. "But your parents," she stuttered, "they must have put up a fight for you. You were their own blood, their own child –"

"Their reason for their deaths," Keeble cut her off sharply, "When word got out of my appearance, they were hung for creating a Beauty such as me. The only reason I can come up with today as to why they didn't kill me as well was that they hoped maybe I would change. They hoped that perhaps, after a few years, my skin would darken, my hair wouldn't be white and that my eyes would blend into a darker shade.

"I lived in an orphanage. It's full of kids who lost their parents because of disease or from a battle, so the adults who run the orphanages are supposed to be the kindest and most sympathetic Beauties of all." He let out a small, dark laugh. "These kind Beauties would only feed me once a day and lock me in the bedroom when it wasn't class. I remember a woman there wacked me with a stick because some young girl had claimed I had pushed her. I never had, of course, but this was the kids' way of finding amusement. I would get whipped until I finally bled and they would laugh at me because I'd never have clean shirts."

Arabella felt sick. She found it hard to breath and had to brace herself by leaning onto a tree. "Why are you telling me this?" she whispered harshly.

"Because you said you followed the water nymph because it looked like a Beauty, which I assumed meant you thought it must have been all friendly and kind like all Beauties. But you're wrong, because a Beauty is just as wicked and sinister as any other creature, if not more.

"You think that just because they aren't hideous and eat with cutlery instead of their fingers that they're pleasant and lovely, blissful creatures all the time! That's because they do everything in secret. Their features hide who they really are."

"My mother was a Beauty!" Arabella snapped, "She was nothing like what you're describing. She was a Beauty, yes, and she treated me with the kindest of hearts even though I'm some mixed-blood. She would never hurt anything!"

"And look how they treated her!" Keeble retorted loudly, "They murdered your father in front of her and she had to run away just to save the both of you. Look Arabella, I'm sure that you tell the truth by the way you speak so fondly of your mother, but you must understand that not all Beauties are like that. They are lying, sneaky bitches that will turn any creature in at the slightest glimpse of imperfection. You have not seen them the way I have, and you must accept the truth of them before we enter the Kingdom."

"Keeble," Arabella said, dejected, "I know I'm not a Beauty and I understand that it will be difficult for everyone when I enter the Kingdom. But if what you say is true, about them destroying anything imperfect, then why would my mother tell me to go to this place?"

He stared at her intensely for a brief moment, looking as if he were debating with himself in his head. After a sigh, Keeble replied softly, "Your mother was very special, making you very special. No Beauty will harm you... yet."

This made Arabella wince slightly. "And you?" she asked, "Why do you and the Beasts want to take me to the Kingdom?"

"Like I said," Keeble told her without meeting her eye, "you and your mother are very special."

"And what does special even mean!" Arabella cried, but Keeble avoided the question.

"We should head back to the camp," he told her flatly, "they'll be wondering where we are. You ready?"

Arabella shook her head. "No," she replied sorrowfully, eyes dull with disappointment, "I think I would just like to stay here for a bit longer. If they ask, you can tell them I'm still looking for food."

For a moment, it seemed as if Keeble was going to oppose, but something quickly stopped him. With a tiny nod, he began to walk back to the campsite without a word. Dry leaves crunched below his feet as Arabella watched him, her chest feeling heavy.

"Hey Keeble?" she suddenly called after him. He turned around, waiting for her to continue, but did not come any closer. "How did you meet Okram?" she asked him, and a small smile began to play with his lips.

"After I was banished," he informed her, "I ran around in the forest for days. By the fifth, I was starving and dehydrated. I was dying and knew it, so I had decided to just lie down on the ground, fall asleep and never wake up. Only I did wake up to see Okram trying to get me to drink water. I should have been terrified, but at the time I hadn't even thought of the idea. He lived by himself at this time, so he took care of me until I was back to my full health. Then it was just him and me for a few years.

"I asked him once why he hadn't just left me to die, because it's not like I was a Beast such as him. And Okram told me that even though he didn't know me at all, he could tell from my appearance and condition of what I had been though. He said that no one deserved that type of cruelty. It's ironic that Beauties and Beasts are sworn to be eternal enemies, because Okram was the first creature to ever show me kindness."

A smile broke out onto Arabella's face. "I'm glad he found you, because he's right." She paused briefly, "And I'm sorry of what happened to you when you were just a child. It makes me regret every time I may have raised my voice or snapped at you."

Keeble shrugged, his smile growing. "Forget it. You're not nearly half as bad as anything I've been through." With a small wave, he continued his way to the campsite.

Arabella watched him until the white boy looked to be devoured by leaves. With a sigh, she stared back up at the treetops. She spun around and lifted her arms up, too much in her head to think clearly. Arabella just wished she could fly out of the forest and return to her mother. She would bring Keeble and Okram with her, then the three of them would continue their flight to the Kingdom of Beauties, where they would all be accepted and...

And then she felt again. Immediately standing still, Arabella snapped her head back and forth as the overpowering feeling came over her, just as before. Whatever had been in the forest before was back, and her instincts told her that it was coming faster this time.

Nervous, she began to step back slowly. She tried to stay quiet, so that whatever was out there wouldn't hear her, but her heel suddenly hit the root of the tree. With a twist, Arabella fell onto her hands and knees. Her fear got the better of her and terror exploded through her body.

Scampering up to her feet, Arabella burst into a run. Dodging tree branches and bushes, she ran towards the campsite. Never once did she try to look back to see what was after her.


	14. Chapter 14

They did not travel very far that day, despite the fairly good weather. Both Arabella and Keeble were fairly weak, as if the pressure from the water that had pushed out every breath of air was still having an effect on them. Okram was kind enough to allow both of them to rest on the trailer for the duration of their travels that day, but Keeble insisted that he walk. Arabella wished that she could walk with them too, to prove that she was not weak, but it was clear to everyone that she was exhausted.

After that, things were normal. Okram was no longer angry at Arabella, and Ladalee was off chasing Keeble, flooding him with compliments on his bravery. Only Slythe seemed quieter, even more so than usual. Arabella noticed him glancing up at the leaves as they sang softly.

Following his gaze, she strained their ears to try to hear what they were chanting. The wind only drifted that day, making it near impossible to pick up what it whispered. Closing her eyes though, Arabella was eventually able to pick up the faint, soft words.

_Tonight,_ nature whispered, repeating itself like the water nymphs. Before Arabella could muse what the word meant, she fell into a deep and thick sleep. She was quickly swallowed by dark dreams, where she was surrounded by terribly strong, black waters. Sloshing around, she thought for sure she was going to drown before she felt a pair of hands pull her up. At first Arabella was relieved, but without being able to see what had a hold of her, she instantly wished she was back in the water, preferring to drown then suffer the fate she knew the hands would put upon her.

_Tonight... tonight... tonight..._

* * *

Arabella slept most of the day, despite the horrible nightmares that seemed to follow her. It was better than being awake, she had decided, because whenever her eyes fluttered open, she felt the pressure of the horrible and overpowering air surround her. When she refused to eat, Keeble finally hopped up onto the trailer and noticed that her ivory complexion was paler than usual and goosebumps lightly covered her skin as she shivered.

After showing her to the other Beasts, Okram decided to put her in the trailer where she could be safe and warm. Both Keeble and Okram stood over her uneasily as they lay her down on some blankets to sleep. Nervously, Keeble asked, "What's wrong with her? Is she sick?"

Okram shook his head, deep in thought. At last, he responded unsurely, "She is exhausted, but something tells me this is some sort of reaction... like a new sense of her is forming."

Keeble's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain, because being a Beauty, you have do not have it. Beasts are able to sense when danger or something unfamiliar is near them. It's like they can feel when something evil is approaching. This sense is finicky though, strong with some Beasts and weak with others. Most of the time, the Beast does not even realize this sense is acting up as it has a different effect on each Beast. We are born with 

this sense, yet some Beasts go through their whole life without knowing how their sixth sense will react."

"If something were approaching us," Keeble asked slowly, trying to wrap his head around this, "why haven't you or Slythe or Ladalee sensed it? Surely one of you would have felt it coming –"

"Because I don't have a sixth sense," Arabella suddenly said, surprising Okram and Keeble that she was awake. Her voice was soft and scratchy though, as if she had a sore throat. "I am only half Beast; therefore if I did have it, the ability of my sixth sense would be very weak. Okram, if you cannot sense anything, surely I cannot sense anything. I'm just under the weather."

Okram stared at her closely, trying to read her face. "Do not be too sure of that," he responded in a low voice. "Have you felt as if something were after you? Have you thought something were behind you when you were by yourself?"

"Never," Arabella lied quickly, "so trust me, I will be better by the morning."

After a pause, both Keeble and Okram left Arabella alone in the trailer. She sighed with relief, because all Arabella wanted to do was sleep without anyone worrying about her. And the last thing she wanted was to learn she had another unwanted Beast quality, so burying her head under the covers, Arabella pushed the idea away.

"It's just a cold," she whispered to herself, "you're just sick from all of this adventure. It's just a cold..." Very soon, Arabella drifted off into another sleep, where she fell back into the familiar waters of her dream.

* * *

A light rain fell from the sky of grey. Arabella slept. The light rain turned into a hard, pounding storm. Arabella slept. The storm faded, the sun set, and a light fog emerged from nothing. Arabella slept through it all. It wasn't until there was a small, rhythmic tapping on the wood trailer door that she finally stirred.

Head still blurry, she stared at the door for a moment before finally getting up to her feet. Arabella still felt as if she were in a dream, her mind somewhere else, when she slowly opened the door. Slythe was looking at her, panting as if he had just been running wildly.

"Arabella!" he gasped, "Thank goodness you are alright. Quick, we must leave this place at once."

Arabella did not move. She was still half asleep and was unable to grasp the panic in Slythe's velvet voice. Looking past him into the dark, she could not see nor hear anything. "What's happening?" she asked slowly.

"The centaurs," hissed Slythe, "they have returned. They attacked our campsite. The one we killed was the prince, and they have come in swarms to avenge his death."

"But that was weeks ago!" cried Arabella before she was quickly shushed.

"That only means they had weeks to plan their attack on us. Please Arabella, if you do not cooperate, I will be forced to leave you to your death."

"Where are the others?"

At this, Slythe's face looked hesitant, as if already regretting what he was about to tell her. With an apologetic nod, he said softly, "I am sorry Arabella, but they had forgotten about you. Everything was so sudden that they bolted. It was not until I remembered you, left alone in the trailer, that Okram decided one of us should go back to find you."

Arabella's blood ran cold. _They had forgotten about her?_ She felt crushed and defeated, but managed to ask, "Are they waiting for us... for me?"

Slythe looked uncertain. "They assured me they would, but the centaurs are furious, chasing them in the forest. I only just escaped them to rescue you. If we hurry though, we may be able to find them."

_They had forgotten about me..._ The very thought seemed to knock the wind out of Arabella and she wanted to collapse to the ground. But then she looked at Slythe. He had risked his life to come save her. All the times that Arabella had distrusted him made her cringe. How could she have been so cruel?

With a small nod, Arabella lifted her hand. Slythe's eyes flashed eccentrically as he clasped her hand tightly and made a bolt for it. Twisting her head around, Arabella tried to look at the damage of the campsite, but it was so foggy that the only thing she could see was the blurry silhouette of the trailer.

The two of them ran with amazing speed. Arabella's feet hardly touched the ground as she frantically looked around, trying to see signs of the centaurs though the fog. They were moving so quickly though that this was impossible. After some time, the two of them slowed down until they came to a stop. Slythe turned his back to Arabella as he gasped for air.

Arabella's bright green eyes shifted nervously as her stomach churned. Was this where they were supposed to meet the others? As her heart slowed down to normal, the beating subsided in her head, allowing her to hear what was around her.

Only there was nothing to hear. The forest was calm, as quiet as it was any other night. It was strange that it was so still if centaurs were planning to attack them in swarms. As Arabella tried hard to pick up some sort of sound, an eerie thought dawned on her.

"Slythe?" she asked quietly, her voice shaking, "How did I sleep though the attack of our campsite?"

At this, the Beast let out a low, hissing chuckled. Pushing his black hair out of his face, he turned around. A large, disturbing grin spread across his narrow face, which had broken into a sweat. The look in his eyes was unsettling as his snake-like tongue flicked through his fangs. Then, without a sound, he was on her.

Slythe pushed Arabella back onto a tree, so hard that she smacked her head against the bark. She opened her mouth to let out a tiny cry, but no sound came out. What was blocking the sound was Slythe's mouth on her own. His thin lips were pushing hard into her face as his hands first gripped tightly onto her tiny waist, then slid up to her breasts.

Arabella tried to scream, tried to push him off, but it was impossible. Slythe then shoved his tongue into her mouth. It was small and sharp, and as it flickered, it cut inside of Arabella's mouth. Horrified at the taste of her own blood, she suddenly opened her mouth wider, then slammed her mouth closed onto Slythe's bottom lip.

He let out a scream as one of her fangs sunk into his flesh and instantly pulled back. "Whore!" he cried as he gingerly touched his lip to see blood on his fingers.

Swallowing the blood that poured from the cuts in her mouth, Arabella was about to make a dash for it until the low sound of someone else's laughter stopped her in her tracks. Body rigid with fright, she watched as a figure emerged from the fog. She let out a shaky gasp.

With a wolf by his side, stood Thorix. His face was completely still, but his piercing, ice blue eyes were smiling dangerously at her. "You are not crying," he spoke at last, "I am surprised. Clearly there is more Beast inside you then is shown."

His sunburned lips then smirked at her, and without a word, the wolf approached Arabella and began to circle her. "You did well, Slythe," Thorix told him, "How does her blood taste?"

Slythe stood by Thorix now, not even bothering to wipe away the river of red that fell down to his chin. "She tastes forbidden," he replied darkly, "like eating the rarest of fruits. It's like nothing I've ever had before... I want more!"

"All in good time," Thorix said calmly as he lightly held onto Slythe's shoulder, as if knowing he were about to pounce on Arabella again. He then slowly walked up to Arabella, his icy eyes locked with her emerald ones.

Without giving a command, the wolf stopped circling Arabella. Thorix walked ever so slowly behing Arabella. She wished that she could keep her eyes on him, but it was as if her feet were bound to the ground. She was unable to move.

Thorix leaned so that his voice was right in Arabella's ear. "See you soon," he whispered. Then, without warning, he brought his arm back and smacked Arabella hard on the back of her head.

Pain rushed through her body as dark appeared at the corner of her vision. Her eyes flutter briefly and then closed before she even hit the ground.


	15. Chapter 15

sSAuthor's Note

Hello!

I'm regret to inform all those who have been reading _Beauty Among the Beasts_ that I am going away for the summer and will not be able to access internet until I return. I'm guessing I will be back around the start of September.

Please, don't forget about this story though, because soon as I can, I will continue it. Just think of it like what you've already read is Part 1, and Part 2 will be out in the fall.

Hope to see your reviews once I start writing again. And don't you worry, I won't forget about this fanfic either, because I'm so excited to finish it. If you have any comments, questions or ideas for the story, send me a message that I'll gladly get to in September.

See you in the fall,

x0

Vintage88


	16. Chapter 16

There was no rain the next morning. In fact, there was even a little bit of sun that shined through the grey sky, even if it was blurred. The cool air had brought along mist that hung low above the ground, causing Keeble to shiver slightly as he emerged from his tent.

Ladalee was already awake, starting the fire. She scratched her speckled skin, muttering to herself under her breath, something about not being able to sleep due to talking. When she noticed Keeble standing there though, all tall and elegant with his pale complexion, she immediately stopped.

"Morning Keeble," Ladalee said as her face lit up at the sight of him. Trying her best to make organized the tangled hair of fiery red so that it looked somewhat presentable, she smiled at him. "Would you like me to make you some breakfast?" she offered.

"In a little bit," he replied without looking at her much. He sat down with a sigh on a log.

The fact that they were alone made Ladalee desperately want to keep talking to him. Trying to keep a conversation going, she asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Alright," Keeble rubbed his face.

"Mine was terrible! You know how I'm a light sleeper? Well I am, and last night I woke up to the sound of people talking and I just couldn't get back to sleep after that."

Keeble looked up at this. "People were talking last night? Who?"

"Well I don't know, but it was near the trailer since I my tent is next to it."

_The trailer._ Fear suddenly washed through Keeble as he rose to his feet, doing his best to not show it on his face. Without a sound he walked briskly towards the trailer, although everything seemed to be moving slowly. As soon as Keeble saw that the trailer door had been left open, the blood in his veins suddenly ran cold. He only had to glance in for a second to see that Arabella was gone.

"Where is she?" he bellowed as he ran back towards Ladalee, "Where is she?"

"Arabella?" the simple-minded Ladalee asked with a small shrug, "Perhaps she went out to pick berries for her breakfast."

"She was sick yesterday," Keeble replied darkly, "she wouldn't have the energy to wake up early and attempt to find berries. Besides, she knows better than to just leave without telling us!"

"What happened," a slow, low voice came from behind Keeble.

It was Okram. He stood so tall that his faint shadow fell across Keeble. His beady eyes were black and unreadable, while his large mouth was a dead straight line. "What happened," he demanded again, a little louder this time.

"Arabella's gone," Keeble responded weakly. Just saying it made his whole body feel hollow and want to collapse.

There was a moment of silence as Arabella's disappearance truly hit the three Beasts. Okram stared ahead, deep in thought while Keeble's sad eyes were glued to earth. Ladalee stared through the crackling fire, which seemed to be the only thing that dared make a sound. At last, Okram asked slowly, with complete seriousness, "Where's Slythe?"

Ladalee glanced around briefly while Keeble made a direct bee-line to his tent. Ripping open the flap, he saw that the tent was empty, completely empty. Not only was Slythe missing, but anything that had belonged to Slythe was gone as well.

The second Okram saw Keeble's expression, he knew what had happened. Opening his large jaw, he suddenly let out a ferocious, deafening roar. The trees above shook as a flock of crows flew away in fright. Trembling slightly, Ladalee turned her head to look back at Keeble.

He had pulled his sword out from his belt and was slashing away with anger at the tent, wishing more than anything that the Beast who it once belonged to was inside.

-

Her vision was blurry when her eyes opened the next morning. Was it morning? Arabella's head is. She opened her mouth to let out a tiny groan, only to realize her lips were dry and sticky. With her tongue, she tried to lick whatever was on her lips off, only to suddenly taste that it was blood. Her blood. Her stomach suddenly churned uneasily, and then, just like that, all the visions from last night flowed into her mind.

Panic rising, she tried to rise to her feet, only to realize that they were bound. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back and around a tree she leaned up against. Looking around frantically, she realized that she was in a small clearing somewhere in the woods. Slythe and Thorix were nowhere to be seen, which for some reason panicked Arabella even more.

"You're awake."

Twisting her neck so she could look further behind her, Arabella suddenly realized that there was a girl behind her, bound to another tree. She was tall and unbelievably thin, although she did not look undernourished. Her skin was slightly darker, like the color of soft wood. Her auburn hair was decorated with a small, thorny crown, and she wore a dress that seemed to be made completely out of leaves. It feel to her ankles and looked as if it could have been beautiful at some point, but too dirty and tattered to be described as that now.

"Who are you?" Arabella asked quickly, "Please, you've got to help me."

"Do I look like I can help you?" the girl suddenly snapped, her large, dark green eyes flashing.

Arabella froze, and after a moment, realized she was right. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. Glancing around once again, she saw that Slythe and Thorix had still not shown up. She 

was glad there was someone else with her though. Perhaps, if she could trust this girl, they could come up with a plan before they got back. Before Arabella could think of one though, she let out a shaky sigh.

"Last night, when they caught me," she couldn't help but say, "I was so scared. I thought I was going to die."

The green-eyed girl then smirked slightly, a small chuckle emerging from her lips. "Not yet you won't," she responded wickedly, "they have plans for you." She chuckled once again, as if she found tormenting Arabella immensely amusing. Suddenly, Arabella wished terribly that she could have just woken up alone.

-

**A/N – I'm back!! And I'm here to continue with this fanfic. I hope I didn't lose any of you over the summer, so I hope to hear any comments or questions from you guys. **

**It feels great to be back!**

**x0**

**Vintage88**


	17. Chapter 17

They were not given anything to eat that morning. After some time, Slythe had appeared out of the fog carrying a sack over his shoulder. Thorix's wolf was by his side, dark eyes watching the Beast suspiciously, but Thorix was nowhere to be seen. Without a sound, Slythe had placed the sack on the ground and noisily pulled a pair of foot chains. He then approached Arabella, his grin making her feel sick, as he clasped them around her ankles. Slythe did the same to the green-eyed girl, therefore attaching her and Arabella together.

Once Thorix returned, he barked for Slythe to untie the two of them, and he did so without a word. Then, within no time, they were off. They walked in a line with the wolf leading, followed by the green-eyed girl, Arabella and with the two Beasts watching them from behind.

The chains were old, rusty things that made walking extremely tiring due to their weight. Glancing down at her feet, Arabella knew that even though her hands were free, she would not be break them open by just using a rock. And unless she was planning on breaking both of her feet in a number of places, she would not be able to slip out of them either.

The silence was deafening. Apart from the light clanging of the chunky chains, nothing dared to make a sound. Even the wind and leaves were completely still. It was as if the whole forest was terrified of Thorix and would rather stay than dare upset him.

At one point, Arabella's head began to throb and she stumbled slightly with each step. Placing a hand on her empty stomach, she realized that it had been over a day since she had last eaten or had anything to drink. Mouth dry, she whispered to herself incredibly softly, "I need to eat."

Glancing around, she noticed that up ahead there was a bush up ahead, covered in tiny red dots. Arabella instantly recognized him as cranberries, and her stomach began to growl. Taking heavy breaths, she glued her green eyes on the gush, determined to get to it.

As soon as it was by herself, Arabella stopped. The cranberries shined in the faint light of the day. Slowly, she bent down to pick a few.

"No," the green-eyed girl behind her suddenly breathed, "stop!"

Before anything could be done, Thorix was on her. With one arm, the Beast yanked Arabella's arms behind her back, and with the other he clutched onto her black hair to keep her head up. He was pulling hair on the spot where he had hit the night before, and the pain was so excruciating that Arabella feared she might faint.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed in her ear, "You think you can just stop when you please? I will tell you when you can stop, and I will tell you when you go. Otherwise it will cost you your head. Do you understand?"

Arabella couldn't move. She could hardly breathe she was in so much pain. Thorix tugged harder on her hair as he yelled, causing tiny stars to appear in the corners of her eyes. "I said do you understand?" he screamed at her.

From behind them, Arabella could hear the green-eyed girl whimpering. She could practically feel her shaking, and for a moment, Arabella wondered how often this same circumstance had happened to her. And then, from behind them, she could hear Slythe chuckling to himself. That fact that she could practically hear his disgusting, satisfied grin made something suddenly rise inside her, despite her lack of energy.

It was fury.

Before she knew what she was doing, Arabella had lifted up her leg and slammed it down onto Thorix's foot, followed by hitting him in the knee with the metal wrapped around her ankle. This caused him to loosen his grip on her arms so that she could slip them and grab onto his wrists. The fury rose and she dug her fingernails into his flesh, feeling the skin break beneath the pressure.

Despite her best efforts, Arabella still had her back to Thorix. It did not take long for him to kick her over easily. Landing on the ground with a soft thud, she quickly used her hands to cover the back of her head, ready for Thorix to strike her. He never did though, and breathing hard, the terrified Arabella glanced up from where she lay.

Thorix's face was still, but his ice blue eyes flashed as he stared at her. He did not seem angry, but looked as if an idea was storming in that squashed head of his. After seeing that Arabella would not break his gaze, he let the tiniest smirk escape onto his face. "Get up," he finally ordered before walking back to where Slythe was.

Still gasping for air, the green-eyed girl approached Arabella. She softly grabbed onto Arabella's arm, and despite her thinness, lifted Arabella off of the ground with ease. Her green eyes, the shade of dark moss on trees, were terrified and glassy. "You're a fool," she whispered into her ear as she pulled her up, "remarkable, but a fool none the less. You won't be so fortunate next time."

Arabella could hardly meet her eyes. Fighting Thorix had stolen almost all of the little energy she had left. Without a sound, she began to trudge after the wolf, who led the way to wherever they were going.

* * *

They stopped after the sun had set and it had begun to rain. Arabella and the green-eyed girl had been chained to two separate trees that stood close to each other. A small tarp had been hung overhead, just keeping them dry as they ate in silence the stale bread that had been given to him.

Arabella stared at the bread fondly. She couldn't remember the last time she had had bread. It must have been with her mother. "Oh mother," she whispered sadly. Arabella had a terribly strong feeling that with her not being able to take care of her, her mother had died from her sickness.

Glancing up, Arabella noticed the girl across was watching her. Smiling weakly, she said, "You're an elf, aren't you?" There were parts of the willowy girl that resembled those of a Beauty, but at the same time, the color of her hair and skin seemed too bold. It was not until Arabella finally saw the points of her ears to be sure that she was, in fact, an elf.

She nodded after a moment. "My name is Raellis to my kind, although I would rather be known as Rae." She spoke slowly, as if making sure Arabella heard her clearly.

"I shall call you Rae than," Arabella responded. When she introduced herself, Rae's face suddenly went cold, as if hoping for another reaction from Arabella.

"I know who you are," Rae finally spoke, "everything does, whether it's the first time they've seen you or not."

Not liking the elf's tone, Arabella asked carefully, "How long have you been captured by Thorix for?"

At this, Rae took off the thorny crown on her head. She held it close to her, as if it were the most precious thing in the world. "When I was captured, my crown used to be covered in wild flowers and roses. Once it is fully dead, I will know my people have given up on me." Rae paused, swallowing a lump that rose in her slender throat. Her crown only had a few brittle leaves left. "I fear that time may be very soon. As soon as my people stop believing I am alive, I shall be left to fend off for myself from the monster that captured me."

Arabella glanced up from the thorny crown, frowning slightly. Speaking slowly, she asked, "You say the words 'my people'. Do you mean to say 'your kind' or are you..." Arabella's voice faded. Her bright green eyes were suddenly locked with Rae's own dark green ones, and as the elf smirked, Arabella's mind was suddenly whisked somewhere else.

In front of her was a kingdom that she had never seen before, yet she somehow already knew it was the Kingdom of Elves. It lay underground, hidden from all, and it was beautiful. Everything seemed to be made out of the most stunning stone, diamonds and opals all tinted blue from glowing mushrooms. Roots of trees hung from the ground above and clung onto the palace. Down below, Arabella could see a swarm of elves. They were dressed from what lay above their kingdom, their slender bodies draped in flowers and leaves and unravelled spider webs. And they were cheering. The elves were cheering and applauding a figure that had emerged from the palace, standing high on a balcony. She waved down to them as they chanted her name. It was Rae.

And then she was back. Arabella's eyes snapped open, out of breath as she returned from Rae's memory. It took her a moment to remember where she was, and when she did, Arabella looked up at the elf in front of her. "You're royalty," she gasped.

"I am their princess," Rae nodded, and after a pause, added, "We are not so different, you and I."

Although Arabella did not understand what this meant, she was still baffled by Rae's powers to transport memories in her own mind to ask. "We have to get you back then," Arabella spoke boldly, green eyes flashing, "don't you see what Thorix is doing? He will use you to get control of your Kingdom. We must escape before he can do so!"

"And how do you plan to do that?" Rae snapped, her voice so cold that Arabella actually shivered, "We are chained to a tree, prisoners of these Beasts, prisoners of _your_ kind." Rae's words were harsh, cutting 

Arabella as they reached her ears. Opening her mouth slightly, she ran her tongue across her fangs while staring down at her hands which were similar to a Beauty's.

"I do not have a kind," she spoke flatly, "I may contain bits of Beauty and Beast in me, but I am neither of those creatures. I may not know a lot – I do not understand why things are after me, I do not understand why creatures won't just let me be – but I do know that I am Arabella, the only Arabella. I am alone, but I know those who will help me, and you can choose to help me as well."

At this, a small leaf fell off of Rae's crown. They both watched it as it swirled to the ground. "I cannot help you. My people think I am dead, and if they do not believe in me, I have little magic. Passing memories is easy, but it is not like I can just snap the chains off of us. I hard Slythe talking to Thorix, telling him about those others you were with. Where are they now, Arabella? They have forgotten about you, just as my people have forgotten about me. I suggest you give up."

Arabella's mouth dropped slightly. "I know they're looking for me," her voice was fierce, "How can I give up when I know they're looking for me."

Rae arched her eyebrows in Arabella's direction, brushing her auburn hair to one shoulder. "How do you know they're looking for you?" Arabella's mouth opened, ready to shoot back an answer, but nothing came out. Nothing came out, because she didn't know.

"Give up, Arabella," Rae said icily, shooting her a harsh stare before looking elsewhere.

It was here that Arabella decided she and Rae were very different indeed.


	18. Chapter 18

Most days between the four creatures were silent. It was learned quickly that Rae and Arabella did not agree with each other, and if Thorix and Slythe wanted to speak, it would always be in low voices off in the distance. Arabella had grown used to the chain clasped around her ankle, although some days she would find it difficult not to break out into an angry fury and try to rip it off.

_Save your energy though,_ she would always tell herself, knowing that she had not been feeling well lately.

One night, Arabella woke up to the sound of Rae crying softly. Her shoulders were hunched over and in her hands was a pile of dead leaves and thorns. Arabella realized very quickly that that was all that was left of her crown. Her people had given up on her, and had Rae not seen Arabella watching her and snap a rude remark in her direction, Arabella might have felt sorry for the elf.

Instead, she stared up at the sky, a blanket of dark blue with tiny, shining holes punched through it. She hadn't seen any signs of Keeble, Okram, or Ladalee. Had they really just given up on her? That very question caused Arabella's chest to burn as a strange sensation fell over her, and if she knew how to cry, Arabella was very sure she would have.

* * *

"Get up," Slythe snapped one morning, hovering over Arabella and Rae. Leaning insufferably close to Arabella's face, Slythe untied her from the tree. Before pulling away, his thin lips smirked slightly as he took a whiff of her. It made Arabella cringe, even though she wasn't surprised. Slythe had been doing unwelcoming gestures to her more and more as each day passed.

Arabella and Rae trudged over to the fire, their chains dragging. Thorix sat around the fire, skinning one of the three rabbits he must have caught that very morning. Also next to the Beast on a small cloth were a few berries and leaves, but as the smell of raw meat wafted up to Arabella's nose, she knew those berries would do very little to satisfy her. Glancing at Rae, she saw that the elf was not at all affected by the scent of the rabbit. Arabella wished more than anything that she could look at berries the way Rae did; the way she once had.

The two females sat across from the Beasts, the fire blurring their wicked faces. Arabella watched as Thorix handed Slythe a rabbit. Just before Slythe took a bite out of his, he glanced at Arabella and licked his lips at her. She quickly averted her eyes, shifting them in Thorix's direction, only to realize he was staring right back at her.

He chuckled lowly. "Would you like one?" he offered, holding up one of the rabbits.

Arabella's stomach growled, but she quickly shook her head and dropped her eyes. She did her best to not lift them up again, keeping them pasted to the ground.

Her large, emerald green eyes slowly drifted to Rae's feet. They were small and even though they were bare, looked as if no stone or twig had ever scratched them. Around one ankle was a small ring of ferns. Around the other ankle was the chain.

And the longer Arabella stared at Rae's ankle clasp, the more she saw the tiniest flaw in it that could mean the greatest escape.

* * *

They set up their new camp after it had grown dark that night. Thorix had gone to sleep early that night, with Slythe tending to the campfire. Arabella and Rae were tied to separate trees by their torsos, still attached together by the chain…

"The chain," Arabella suddenly whispered, no longer able to contain herself, "I know it, there's a flaw in the chain."

Rae's olive green eyes snapped up to her. They narrowed slightly, "What do you mean," she whispered back.

"Look at your ankle clasp," instructed Arabella, "it's not fully closed, it's like something's jammed in the lock. You might be able to open it because that means it's not completely locked together."

Eye's hopeful, Rae glanced down at her ankle to see that Arabella spoke the truth. Glancing in Slythe's direction to see that his back was to them, Rae reached to her ankle and began to fiddle with the clasp. The thick metal did not budge, and Rae's hopeful expression suddenly changed to a bitter one.

"We're wasting our strength," she muttered, but Arabella let out a determined sigh. The clasp wasn't fully closed; she just knew there had to be a way to open it.

"Can you stretch your leg across to me?"

"What?"

"Straighten your leg!" Arabella suddenly ordered, surprising the both of them. Rae did was she was told, and her long, willowy leg just reached Arabella. Arabella grasped the metal and began to try to pull it apart. Letting out a small grunt, she saw that the metal was staring to give. "Alright," she told Rae, "I may not be able to open it all the way, but I may be able to just enough to slip your foot through."

Rae nodded, signally for Arabella to start again. Instantly, she began to pull at the metal, it cutting into her small hands. "Slide your foot through," she gasped.

"There's no way it will fit," Rae hissed.

"You have… to… try… harder!" Arabella said through breaths as she tugged more at the chain. Her hands were burning, but if she let go now, she may not be able to separate it this far away. She glanced up at Rae, whose eyes were watering due to the angle she had her foot positioned in.

Then, with the pressure from Arabella's hands and Rae's foot, the chain snapped. It made a loud snapping sound, and the surprised Arabella dropped it to the ground. Slythe's head snapped in their direction.

"Go," Arabella spoke rapidly, "you have to get out of here!"

Rae's expression was a distressed one, shifting between Arabella and Slythe, who had now risen to his feet at the sight of the chain. "I can't just leave you here!"

"You have to. Rae, get somewhere safe now."

Starting to cry again, the thin elf slipped her way out from between the rope and the tree. Standing up to her full height, Rae hesitated, looking at Arabella again. It wasn't until Slythe let out a roar that she broke into a run. Very quickly, the elf disappeared into the forest.

Slythe stopped once he reached Arabella, knowing it would be impossible to find Rae now. Eyes glaring ferociously at Arabella, he suddenly raised his hand and brought it down with speed. Arabella closed her eyes, thinking he was going to strike her. Instead, Slythe had cut the rope.

"Get up!" he screamed, yanking her up by the arm. Just as quickly as she had risen to her feet, Slythe smacked her in the shoulder, causing her to fall onto the ground on her back.

Before she knew it, he was on top of her, pinning her to the ground as he straddled her. There was a twisted look in his eyes as his tongue flickered angrily between his lips. "Did you think," he yelled, "that you would actually escape? Did you actually think that you would get away?" He suddenly leaned forwards, kissing her hard on the lips before biting them with his fangs.

"Did you think," he continued as he pulled away, her blood running down his face, "that you would actually escape me?" His hands were on her throat, and he laughed as he watched her gasping for air. He leaned forwards again, placing his lips on hers and sucked in. Any bit of hair that had been in her lungs was now gone.

And then he released her, laughing harder as she sputtered and coughed and choked on blood that dripped down her throat. _He's torturing me,_ Arabella suddenly realized in terror, although with not enough air in her body to make a sound. Slythe kissed her again, this on her cheek, and eagerly made his way down her neck and to the two of her breasts. With his hands, he was slowly lifting up the hem of Arabella's dress.

"Get off of me!" she suddenly screamed, getting ready to use whatever strength she had left to push him off. Before she had to though, there was a flash of grey that pushed Slythe off of her. Shaking, Arabella sat up, realizing it was Thorix's wolf, who now pinned the Beast to the ground, growling in his face.

"Thorix!" Slythe screamed, "Thorix! Get your blasted wolf off of me!"

Thorix appeared out of the shadows, his ice blue eyes glaring at the Beast on the ground. Slowly, he made his way to Slythe and stood over him. Arabella watched in horror, unable to move. "Thorix, tell this thing to get off of me!"

After a second of thought, Thorix whistled slightly. The wolf jumped off and Slythe quickly got to his feet, wiping spit and blood off of his chin. "Stupid dog," he muttered.

"What do you think you're doing," Thorix asked. His voice was so clam, yet his eyes so fierce, that it made Arabella shiver.

"The elf," Slythe began, "that stupid princess elf got away, and all because of Arabella. I thought I'd teach her a little lesson." He let out a laugh, but quickly stopped himself when Thorix did not join in.

"What do you think you're doing?" he repeated the question again.

Slythe hesitated, beginning to look uneasy. Pushing a black strand of hair out of his face, he said slowly, "The elf got away –"

"I don't care about the damn elf!" Thorix suddenly bellowed, "I am asking you what you think you're doing?"

"Thorix," Slythe said carefully after some more hesitating, "you said I could have Arabella. You said if I brought her to you, I could do whatever I wanted to her when you were finished with her."

"And do you think I'm finished with her?" Thorix yelled, spit flying onto Slythe's face, "Does it look like I'm even close to being finished with her?" He then suddenly stopped, breathing hard. Slythe looked just as terrified as Arabella did. Then, a wicked smile suddenly twisted its way across Thorix's lips. "And besides," he suddenly said, his voice a little _too_ calm, "what makes you think I would keep such a promise. I'm done with you Slythe."

"N-no, wait!" Slythe was very quickly cut off as Thorix grabbed onto his throat, his claws burying themselves into Slythe's skin. Slythe's eyes bludged for a moment before they suddenly lose their shine. Retracting his claws, Thorix let the dead Beast collapse to the ground.

And then, unable to contain her terror any longer, Arabella screamed.


	19. Chapter 19

"What do you want from me?" Arabella asked through clenched teeth the next morning.

She was sitting across the fire from Thorix, her hair limp and falling in front of her face as she peered at him with her vibrant green eyes. Her whole body shook with cold, exhaustion and hunger. Arabella found it hard enough to hold herself up, and the only thing that kept her from falling asleep right there was the image of Slythe's dead face that appeared whenever she closed her eyes.

"What do you want from me?" Arabella demanded again, more forcefully this time. "Why am I so special to you - to everyone - that I can't just be left alone?"

Thorix finally looked up to her, that dreadful smirk playing on his lips. After a moment, he replied calmly, "You're a fighter, did you know that Arabella? Most of my prisoners would be dead by now, and the only reason why Rae was alive for so long was because she believed there was still hope her people would find her. But with the way her crown was crumbling, she wouldn't last much longer."

"What do you want from me?" screamed Arabella, fed up with not getting answers. Of course, raising her voice like that caused her body to wobble, and she had to steady herself by placing her hands on the ground.

Thorix just chuckled. "There really is nothing else like you." He then reached down and pulled up some rodent he had skinned. "You're hungry," he said as if he could read Arabella's thoughts, "come get it."

Arabella froze. Her stomach had never felt emptier in her entire life, but she couldn't bring herself to rise up and get it. As delicious as the meat smelt, she needed answers first. "Tell me where we're going," she asked lowly.

With a sigh, Thorix nodded once. "Alright, but only because I hate to see you starve. I'm taking you to the Kingdom of Beauties."

Arabella's heart skipped a beat. "You're taking me there as well? But that's where Okram said he was going." She paused, thinking hard. "If you think that you can use me to get the King do give you something then you're wrong. Why would he want me? I'm just some embarrassment to him."

"Don't be too sure," Thorix stroked the wolf by his feet gently with one hand. "Now a deal's a deal. Time for breakfast, Princess."

Arabella scowled at the nickname, but rose to her feet. The chain on her ankle clunked heavily on the ground. Thorix had fixed the flawed ankle clamp, and locked it around his own foot to make sure Arabella could never get away. Arabella was now permanently too close to the Beast. Hesitating, Arabella took the dead rodent from Thorix's hand before returning to her spot across the fire.

Thorix watched her with an eerie, almost hopeful look in his pale blue eyes. It made Arabella uneasy, and she was almost considering throwing the meat into the fire before she suddenly took a bite out of it. She couldn't help it; _she was starving_.

Her fangs sliced through the animal easily, yet it was still tough enough that she got satisfaction from chewing it. Arabella's mouth worked hard, chewing quickly on the tender thing and loving the taste. She swallowed, and then everything suddenly changed.

Arabella felt her pupils dilate and could suddenly hear and smell things like never before. She hunched over, startled as Thorix's wolf began to growl at her. But it wasn't a positioned that something would do when they were scared; no, this hunched position made Arabella look as if she were about to strike a creature. The hairs rose on the back of her neck as anger suddenly grew inside of Arabella, and without a sound she suddenly ate the meat in her hand ferociously, red juice running down her chin.

Thorix just watched. The corners of his lips were turned up just enough into what would be called a disturbing smile. Only his wolf heard him speak in his low, chilling voice. "The Beast is unleashed."

And then, after days and days of silence, the leaves began to shiver and swirl with excitement, sharing what they had heard with the wind.

-

A/N: HI! So sorry this is a pretty short chapter. I promise to update more, because I know recently I haven't been doing so well. Tell me what you think

x0

Vintage88


	20. Chapter 20

They began to walk nonstop, Thorix and Arabella did. To Arabella's surprise, Thorix had decided to get rid of the chain. If Arabella had been herself, her first response would have been to bolt, but she was craving flesh and blood all the time and would not catch animals as easily as Thorix. The only reason she stayed with him was so she would not die, for trying to stuff herself with berries would not sustain her fill for long.

Occasionally, the two Beasts and wolf would come to a stop, but some days they would go walking right into the night, and continue even when the sun had risen again. Arabella's body ached from exhaustion, but her senses were more awake than ever. She had never felt so alive. She could hear and smell and hear everything, even feel things like never before. Standing still, her bare feet could feel animals burying themselves beneath the earth.

Arabella felt completely wild.

* * *

There was a deer. It stood, eyes black and wide, its neck twisted as it listened intently. Arabella crouched behind a bush. She was so close that she felt that she could reach out and touch the animal, touch its thick, touch skin that her teeth craved to slice through. But she hesitated. So many times, Arabella had lunged at an animal, only to get a face full of dirt.

This was the closest she had ever been to her prey, and Arabella was determined not to let it get away from her. Arching her back, Arabella rose onto her toes and tips of her fingers, shoulders hunched forwards. Baring her fangs, she was about to leap out of the bush when there was a sudden flash of grey fur. The deer let out a scream as it was tackled to the ground.

Thorix suddenly chuckled, startling Arabella with his presence behind her. "You never learn," he spoke lowly, the ice blue holes in his face flashing.

"I had him," growled Arabella, "I had that deer and you knew it. Can't you control that wolf of yours?"

"Of course I could train him," Thorix thought for a moment, "but soon he would realize and his true self would shine through even more wickedly than before. Something that was born a wild creature cannot be caged forever."

Arabella locked her eyes with Thorix, anger burning in her chest. Her nails, which had grown rapidly, dug into her palm as she clenched her fists. It infuriated her how Thorix was always so calm and always made her feel like some child. It was here that Arabella realized she was no longer afraid of the Beast that stood before her. "That deer was mine," she snarled.

"You never learn," Thorix repeated, "you were too close to the deer and took too long to attack. He could sense your presence. The only reason why the wolf got him was because he was being distracted by you. Whenever you find yourself that close to an animal you must attack it quickly; kill it quickly."

With envious eyes, Arabella watched as the wolf dug into the dead deer. Despite its beautiful features and wise expression, it had died so quickly. It had given up so quickly, and for a moment, Arabella was reminded of her mother. Beauties, she realized, sickened her.

"Thorix?" she asked after a moment, her voice calm and breathing steadied. "When we reach the Kingdom of Beauties, what do you plan to do there?"

Thorax began to walk away. "That is my own business, although I can assure that you are a vital part of my plan."

"Well I figured that," Arabella muttered. Beginning to follow Thorix, she asked nervously, "But can you promise me something? Thorix?"

He glanced back at her. "I don't believe in promises. Promises are for fools who have too much hope and not enough fortitude."

Arabella stopped in her tracks. "Thorix," she spoke firmly, "I don't care if you believe in promises or not, but I need you to tell me that you will not leave me alone with the Beauties. Whatever you have planned, I will help you succeed, but I need you to swear that you will not just leave me there, or so help me, I will run away from you right now."

Intrigued, Thorix stopped walking and smirked at Arabella. "You can't even catch your own food."

"I will learn. I have taught myself many things, why should this be any different?"

"Even if you do learn, my wolf will find you. My wolf will kill you."

"I would rather die in the home of Beasts than in the home of Beauties."

Thorix's smirk grew into a twisted smile. He could hear in Arabella's voice that every word she spoke were true. As a growing wind pushed his black hair into his face, he whispered, "Then I promise. I promise not to leave you alone with Beauties in their home."

Relief washed over Arabella and a smile escaped onto her face. Without another word, Thorix began to continue on his way, Arabella eagerly on his heels. It was twilight now, the sun melted its way out of the sky. Every quickly, Arabella began to notice a change in scenery, very small, slight changes that she never would have noticed before.

Trees began to thin out, just enough to make it easier to walk in a straight line. The air smelled different, like a mixture of perfume and fires. And then there was that noise. It was a noise that made Arabella's eyes wide as she tried to make out what it was, but by the time she did it was completely dark out.

"Music," she whispered in shock, "I'm hearing music." Thorix did not answer, and Arabella reached out to grab his arm, "What is this music I hear?"

He quickly jerked his arm away, keeping his mouth tight. With an angry sigh, Arabella stayed quiet as well as she followed Thorix up a small hill. When they reached the top of it, Arabella gasped. Below 

them, in a luscious valley, was a kingdom. It had thick, tall walls that surrounded the enormous place, and a palace that was too beautiful to even describe. Even in the dark, Arabella could tell that it must have been made out shimmering stone.

"The Kingdom of Beauties," she whispered. After a pause, her fascination of the kingdom faded, and she spat to get the taste of it name out of her mouth.

"We're here," Thorix said as the wolf began to growl by his side, "and they have no idea. Right now they are celebrating their King Roo's birthday, eating and drinking and dancing to music. That is what you hear, Arabella."

Her heart began to flutter with dark excitement. "Then let us go. If they're not expecting us, we can attack now. Just tell me what to do and I –"

"You will do nothing!" snapped Thorix, his voice as sharp as daggers, "Until I say what needs to be done, you will sit here and wait. I do not plan on entering the kingdom until the morning, after everyone awakes with aching heads."

Arabella looked back at the glowing kingdom. "Enter in the morning?" she asked, unconvinced, "We will never be able to sneak in that way. Do you expect the guards to just open up the gates to allow us inside?"

Thorix chuckled, "It shouldn't be too hard to convince them."

* * *

Ladalee's head snapped up. Her fiery red hair began to fly back in the breeze, and for a moment she just stared into the fire, making sure she fully understood. Then, looking across the fire at Keeble, she whispered, "Oh no. Keeble, where's Okram?"

Keeble looked up. His face looked exhausted, but there was a determined, fiery gleam in his pale eyes. "He's in the trailer," he replied after a moment, eyeing the female Beast suspiciously.

"Okram!" Ladalee suddenly yelled as she rose to her feet, "Okra-a-a-am!?"

The large Beast burst out of the trailer. "What the hell are you screaming at me for? For crying out loud, can a Beast not get two seconds to just..." Okram's booming voice, very quickly, disappeared into nothing. His small eyes shifting back and forth quickly, as if reading something invisible that flew by him.

"The wind," Ladalee choked, "the wind, Okram, can you feel it?"

Nodding slowly, Okram inhaled deeply. "I feel it," he replied slowly before ordering, "get the horses ready now. We have to move quickly."

Ladalee did as she was told without a sound, but Keeble rose to his feet and approached Okram. "What are you two talking about?" he demanded, "What do you mean by the wind? I don't feel anything?"

"That's because you're a Beauty, boy," Okram spoke quickly as he began to pack up his tent. "This is a sense Ladalee and I are feeling, and it is a strong one at that."

"Then tell me what's going on!" Keeble cried, "Okram!"

His voice was so firm, so terrified, that the Beast stopped what he was doing. With great hesitation, he said, "They've reached the Kingdom. Thorix and Slythe have arrived at the Kingdom of Beauties, with Arabella."

Keeble's eyes grew huge. "That's impossible," he struggled to find the right words, "before you said they were only a day ahead of us. How could they have reached the kingdom already?"

"Because they didn't stop. They must have walked for days without stopping for a rest. And don't argue with me boy, because it something that Beasts can do very easily when they are determined."

"But Arabella's not a Beast!" Keeble cried, "She's only half a Beast, and hardly one at that. She would never be able to travel for so long without stopping."

Avoiding Keeble's stare, Okram began to continue his packing. He moved slower this time, a strange look on his face, lost in deep thoughts. "I'm afraid," he responded at last, "that Arabella is not the same as she was when she was last with us." From the look on Keeble's worried face, Okram could see that he did not understand. Rolling his eyes, he growled, "You Beauties are so naive sometimes. Now come with me. There's a lot to explain."

And so Keeble did, because he didn't know what else he could do.


	21. Chapter 21

They awoke at dawn the next day. Thorix took his time as he packed up their campsite and destroying evidence of their being there. Arabella, on the other hand, was more jumpy. They were going to enter the Kingdom of Beauties. For all of her life she had longed to be among the beautiful and wise, but she now only wanted to destroy their perfect lives for everything they'd done; for her mother, for Keeble, for the water nymphs, for the Beasts, but more importantly, for herself.

With a sigh, Arabella walked further back into the forest. She was feeling impatient, waiting for Thorix to do his daily routine without wanting her help. She glanced back at the Beast for a moment before returning her eyes to her front. They landed right on a squirrel. It crouched a few feet away from her, carelessly eating a walnut. Just behind her, she could feel the wolf staring her down, watching her every move. Arabella slowly closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. When her eyes flew back open, they were wide and flashing.

She lunged at the squirrel. Swift and silent, the squirrel barely had time to wink as Arabella grabbed it in her hands. Or were they now claws? She couldn't tell as her nails dug into the rodent, killing it quickly. After a pause, Arabella's heart suddenly fluttered at her success. She then took a large chunk out of it with her fangs and chewed happily.

Turning around, she made eye contact with the wolf, and if Arabella hadn't known better, she would have sworn he was smile exactly like Thorix; dark, twisted, and incredibly pleased.

* * *

Thorix pounded on the gates of the Kingdom. It took a moment before a small flap opened up and a yawning guard poked his head out. Looking down, it took him a moment before he realized what he was staring at. His eyes grew huge in fear.

"Do not call for anyone," Thorix ordered calmly, "for I am not here to hurt anyone. I just want to speak to the king."

The guard swallowed. "Y-you'd have to be bloody mad if you think I'd ever l-let you in. If you don't go back to w-where you came from, I'll... I'll..."

"Call the guards on me?" Thorix finished, "I thought you were supposed to be that." There was a pause as Arabella glanced nervously at Thorix before he spoke. "I'm going to ask you to let me in so I may speak to the king."

"Get back!" the guard called, "Get back Beast!"

Thorix chuckled icily. "Wouldn't it be a shame for everyone to learn that the only reason they never saw Arabella again was because some stupid guard wouldn't let her inside?"

The guard's mouth practically dropped open. "Arabella?" he could barely pronounce the name as he now shifted his eyes onto her, "But she's just a myth! Just a fairytale!"

"If she was, would she be standing right in front of you?"

The guard hesitated, trying to think much too hard for the early morning. "What was your mother's name?" he finally demanded.

Arabella glanced at Thorix, who nodded at her to answer. Stepping forward slightly, she replied anxiously, "Leola. My mother's name was Leola. She was a Beauty, with blonde hair and blue eyes and a round face, and she gave birth to me; Arabella; a mixed-blood."

"Bloody hell," the guard murmured, his pale face beginning to sweat.

Thorax raised his voice, "Now if you don't let us into the kingdom, I will call on every Beast in the forest to attack. All they need is one roar, my roar, to know where to go and believe me, it shouldn't take more than a few hours."

Arabella stiffened. She knew Thorix was lying, and she hoped that with her being so nervous, she wouldn't give it away. Looking up at the guard again, she realized he believed every word. The guard suddenly disappeared, and after a moment, the gates began to creak open. Arabella could hardly breathe as she follow Thorix and his wolf into the Kingdom of Beauties.

It was full of clean looking, double-floored houses. The Kingdom was absolutely silent, causing Arabella to shiver. "Quiet place you've got here," Thorix pointed out to the guard, who stood, terrified as he watched these three _things_ enter his home.

"King Roo's birthday last night," he answer after some thought, "there was a large celebration that ended only just a few hours ago. I suppose everyone is still sleeping."

Arabella took a long look at the guard. A Beauty he was, with sandy blonde hair and grey eyes that sparkled even in the dim morning light. But he was a young Beauty, young and naive and clearly unsure of what he should be doing in this scenario. Arabella supposed he was only put as a guard at this time of day because the Kingdom expected that they would be safe from any harm.

"It must have been quite a celebration," Thorix continued, "and I'm sorry I missed it. Turning eighty must be a thrill for King Roo."

The guard suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to speak. At last, he managed to ask, "How do you know how old King Roo is? You're just a Beast."

"Because I know everything," Thorix replied coolly, a disturbing grin spreading across his face, "I'm Thorix." He then made eye contact with Arabella. "Let's go before he wakes up the whole kingdom."

Unsure of what he meant, Arabella looked behind her. The guard looked like he was about to faint as he bolted back to the gates and picked up what looked like a large trumpet. He then blew loudly into the instrument, and its sound rang throughout the whole kingdom. It echoed off of the surrounding buildings, causing Arabella to feel dizzy.

"What's going on?" she was just about to ask, but quickly stopped herself. Behind the noise of the trumpet, she could hear shuffling from inside the buildings. Muffled voices and creaking floorboards beneath footsteps were sounds of Beauties awakening. The guard was announcing their arrival.

Arabella's anxiousness grew into what she described as fear, and so strong that fear was, she hardly noticed as she and Thorix approached the castle. The Beast burst through the palace's front doors with Arabella close in tow. The interior walls of the palace were decorated with a mosaic design, made out of glittering jewels. Originally, Arabella would have been disgusted at the Beauties for hogging so many jewels just to decorate the walls of some building, but she was much too scared to truly notice.

To Arabella's shock, the wolf suddenly howled. She then jumped at the sound of Thorix's voice as it boomed, "King Roo. Where is King Roo? I demand to speak to him this instance!" The wolf howled again, and Arabella's eyes lifted to the ceiling as she heard footsteps running above.

Suddenly, down the long hallway, appeared two guards. They ran quickly towards them, holding long swords in their hands. Thorix only smirked at this sight. "Pathetic Beauties," he muttered to Arabella, "always having to use some created thing for battle."

Then, without warning, the wolf bolted to the closest guard. He tackled him to the ground and bit deeply into his shoulder. The other guard looked like he had practically run into Thorix's arms, who smacked the sword out from his grasped and picked him up by the shoulders. He chucked the Beauty across the room, and he smacked head-first into the wall.

Arabella let out a scream, but Thorix did not notice as he approached the guard pinned to the ground. "Where is King Roo?" he demanded from the whimpering guard. After a pause, he then sneered, "You Beauties have disappointed me. This has been much too easy, and all because your Kingdom is too tired from some celebration to wake up.

"I forbid you to talk about my kingdom like that," a man suddenly spoke as he descended the stairs. He had a strong voice, but his appearance did not seem to match. Approaching them was a hunched man with a face covered by a long, snow-white beard. What could be seen of his face was thin, wrinkled skin that looked like it would tear as easily as paper. And yet, behind his blue eyes was a fiery glare as he spoke. "Thorix," he said lowly.

Thorix smirked. "Hope I didn't wake you, King Roo."

King Roo did not find the Beast amusing in the least. "Get out of my kingdom this instant," he hissed.

"I'm only here to talk," Thorix answered calmly, "and I know you will want to hear what I have to say." He paused, angling his body so that King Roo's eyes now landed on Arabella. "I would like to introduce you to someone. I don't believe you've met, have you?"

King Roo's scowl slowly melted away into a terrified expression the longer he stared at the creature in front of him. Arabella stared directly back at him, but there was something eerily familiar about his blue eyes that made her uneasy. A chill ran through her body and she took a small step backwards.

"Thorix..." she began to say.

"I could never forget eyes as green as those," King Roo spoke in astonishment. He began to walk towards her, arms wide open as if he wanted to embrace her. "Oh Arabella," he whispered, eyes brimming with tears.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, cowering, "Don't come near me!"

"I thought you would never return. Oh Arabella, I have prayed and prayed for this day." He turned towards Thorix. "Where did you find her? Where's her mother?"

"None of that matters," Thorix responded dryly, "The only important thing for me is whether or not you want her or not. If you do, then I will trade her for control of you and your Kingdom."

King Roo's eyes grew wide. "I refuse!" he shouted. Something flashed through Thorix's face, almost as if this was exactly what he had wanted him to say. With a small laugh, he then said, "And if you do not want her, then she is no use to me and I will kill her right now."

Arabella could hardly breathe. The blood in her veins felt like ice and she trembled as she spoke. "Thorix, Thorix what are you saying. Thorix I don't understand. What does this all mean?"

"My dear girl," King Roo began, but she quickly cut him off.

"Don't you dare speak!" she screamed at him, "Thorix, just tell me what is going on!"

There was a long pause as the three creatures stood in a thick silence. Both the Beauty and the Beast stared at the mixed-blood with very different expressions on their faces. At last, Thorix sighed and suggested, "Perhaps we should show her a painting."

With a nod of the head, King Roo told them to follow him. Arabella hesitated before she trailed after Thorix. They were led down a long, thin hall filled with paintings. Some paintings contained animals or the palace, while others contained other Beauties. Arabella noticed a painting of a much younger looking King Roo.

"That was my wife," King Roo explained as he pointed a knobby finger at another painting, "the Queen of Beauties. She died quite a few years ago. This one here is my eldest child, my son Rhys. And next to him is my daughter."

They stopped here, allowing Arabella to stare at the portrait more closely. The female beauty was stunning, even for her young age. Her blonde hair had been piled up on top of her head and her milky skin made her blue eyes sparkle. On her lips was a small, quaint smile, a smile that Arabella could never forget.

She began to shake her head. "No," she whispered.

"My daughter's name was Leola."

"No. No, no, no," she began to shake her head faster, "Your daughter's name is not Leola because _my_ mother's name is Leola. And this... this can't be my mother."

King Roo nodded slowly. "It is, dear Arabella."

"But if this is my mother then she... then I..." Arabella began to choke on her words. She didn't want to believe, she couldn't believe. But glancing between the king and Thorix, she knew it was.

"Your mother," King Roo told her softly, "was my daughter. You are my granddaughter. That means you are not just Arabella."

Thorix chuckled darkly. "Welcome home, Princess Arabella."


	22. Chapter 22

Her feet sunk into the plush bear fur carpet that lay across the floor of what was apparently her room. The bed was tall and dark wood with beautiful carvings on the headrest, piled high with pillows. A large wardrobe across the room was filled with only the finest dresses, and on a short-legged table was a bowl consisting of shiny fruit. It was perfect, perfect, perfect... too perfect!

Arabella, who had been pacing back and forth nervously, suddenly came to a halt as she looked out the window. The sun had risen, casting gold rays down on the Kingdom. With a growl, Arabella snatched the curtains and pulled them closed with such force she was surprised she didn't rip the fabric.

Arabella stood in what had been her mother's room, and King Roo had said it was now hers. Or, correctly, her grandfather said it was now hers. Just thinking about the secret her mother had kept from her all of her life made Arabella gasp for air. How could her mother have just _forgotten_ to tell her that she was the heir to the Beauty thrown?

"Princess?"

"Don't call me that," the mixed-blood snapped as she turned around sharply. Standing in the doorway of her room was what she assumed was her maid. She had heard maids whispering among each other in the hallway, all young and terrified of the Beast that must have been behind the door. This maid must have been the bravest of them, with her face full of wrinkles and wisdom.

"I am not allowed to call you anything else Princess," the maid said simply, impressing Arabella with her boldness. "If you are the least bit curious, my name is Raiven."

Raiven looked to be a middle aged beauty. She moved slowly and had light blue puffy circles below her tired eyes, but dark and fierce eyes they were. Her thick dark hair was piled high on her head in a tight bun, causing her eyes impossibly dark eyes to glimmer even in the dim room.

"You look like a Raiven," Arabella spoke at last, watching the Beauty as she organized the room even though it was already perfect.

One corner of her mouth curled up in a smirk. "One of my closest friends told me the exact same thing when the two of us were your age," replied Raiven. A shiver ran up Arabella's spine, and she didn't even need to ask to know who Raiven spoke of.

"You were my mother's maid?"

"No," Raiven responded, "I was Princess Leola's maid, but Leola, and just Leola, was my friend. She was a Beauty like none other, and I do hope you have inherited qualities such as hers."

Arabella clenched her jaw. "I'm not a Beauty," she spoke lowly, dangerously.

Raiven's dark eyes flashed and with amazing speed she said, "Well you're not a Beast, either, so smarten up. I know your mother raised you better than this."

"Well did you know my mother's dead?" Arabella barked back, narrowing her gleaming green eyes. Raiven's hard expression changed instantly as her face paled. She swallowed as she dropped her gaze to the floor. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be," Arabella grumbled, "she was sick. She had been sick for a long time. I took care of her for a long time and wanted to continue taking care of her, but what does she do? She keeps my real life a whole secret and then forces me to leave home forever."

Raiven shook her head. "Leola only did what was best for you. That had always been her intention."

"How is any of this the best for me?" cried Arabella, "She had some feeble excuse that when she died, some magic would fade and I would no longer be safe. Did she truly think that I wouldn't be capable of taking care of myself? I would be just fine not knowing about her royal past."

A strange expression suddenly washed over Raiven's face. Arabella couldn't quite find the name for it, but she could trace a fair deal of fear in her dark eyes. "You really know nothing," she whispered, staring at Arabella in awe.

"Well would you care to explain what's going on then?"

Just as Raiven was considering the idea, there was a sharp knock on the door. Arabella was expecting someone to enter her room, but instead, a voice from the other side of the door said that King Roo was expecting Arabella in his study. Whoever the voice belonged to then scurried down the hall, not wanting to see what wicked creature would surely appear from the room.

A random spot of pain began to form in Arabella's chest. "They know nothing about me and they already think I'm some monster," she spoke forlornly.

Raiven stared at Arabella with a gentle expression. After a pause, she spoke softly, "You best follow me."

* * *

The study was a grand old room. The walls were lined with tall shelves filled with books and large plush chairs. The door that entered the study had two guards on either side, which was a wise decision considering that Thorix sat across from King Roo. King Roo himself though did not seem nervous. He looked surprisingly relaxed to be having a conversation with a Beast as famous as Thorix, and even the tough Raiven stiffened at the sight of the Beast as she led Arabella into the room.

"We have a lot to discuss, Arabella," King Roo told her solemnly, "please take a seat. Thank you for bringing her, Raiven."

This was a hint for Raiven to leave the study, but she caught Arabella's eye. Something about her gaze made Arabella say, "I want her to stay with me."

"That is quite unnecessary Arabella," King Roo began, but he was sharply cut off.

"If you can have two guards in this room, I'm sure I can have one guest with me as well." Arabella ordered, "Raiven will stay with me."

Too tired to argue, King Roo waved a hand in the air, motioning for Arabella to just sit down. With a nod, Raiven stood her ground and watched Arabella take a seat. Very firmly, the mixed-blood said, "I need to understand what is going on."

"Very well," King Roo said, and he began. "There is, Arabella, what I suppose you could call a curse on the royal Beauty family. Whoever sits on the throne will never die until the heir takes the throne. I should have died many, many years ago, but your mother had foolishly runaway, leaving this fait on me."

"You were going to kill her!" Arabella argued, "What did you expect her to do? And besides, you said she had a brother."

"His name was Lukyle, but a few months after your mother's disappearance, he had an accident while hunting." At this, King Roo glanced darkly at Thorix.

"Don't glare at me," Thorix sneered, "for it was not I who attacked Lukyle. I refused to be blamed for another Beast's actions."

"Needless to say," continued the King, "Luklye did not survive. He was not even in well enough condition to be brought back to the Kingdom."

"If you're looking for sympathy," Arabella began, "you're not going to receive any. Lukyle's death was an accident, but Leola could still be here today if you hadn't been so cruel. I know all about you Beauties, and I hope you rot away on your throne."

"Let me continue, Arabella," King Roo said before breaking out into a coughing fit.

Thorix rolled his eyes. "Then let me continue," he grinned, "because this is my favourite part. There are only two ways for the creature sitting on the throne to die: if the rightful heir takes his place, or if he happens to be killed by, let's say, a Beast sitting across from him." His grin grew at this as he eyed the King, chilling Arabella.

"But that is not happening," King Roo said after finding his voice again, "instead, Arabella, you will be taking my place so that I may rest in peace."

I took a moment for Arabella to react to this comment. Once it finally sunk in, her green eyes grew wildly. "You want me to run the Kingdom of Beauties? You must be joking. I... I refuse. I refuse to be some queen, even if I am the rightful heir."

King Roo shook his head, "You have no choice, Arabella."

"Don't say that," Arabella cried, "I can do what I want. And... and you don't want me to take your place. I'm just a mixed-blood. I'm an imperfect Beauty, an embarrassment. Surely there must be someone else."

A nauseating silence followed as King Roo dropped his head with exhaustion. Moving her eyes to Thorix, Arabella realized he was staring directly at her with such a twisted gleam in his eyes that she was unable to shift her gaze. "That's where I come in," he chuckled, "because you see Arabella, King Roo is too humiliated by you and the same your mother brought to his name to ever have you truly run the Kingdom. So when you accept the crown and King Roo dies, I will then take over."

"He would never let his Kingdom be run by a Beast," Arabella said, but she could hear the uncertainly in her voice. "Isn't that right, King Roo? King Roo?" She repeated his name, but he refused to look up at her. Arabella had received an answer. She suddenly felt like she had been stabbed in the chest. "But that means..."

Thorix laughed. "Remember that silly little promise you asked me to keep? It was something like you didn't want me to leave you alone in the Kingdom of Beauties. Well, instead, I'm going to just kill you in what is truthfully the Kingdom of Beasts." He laughed once again. "Don't you feel honoured to be the first creature I have ever kept a promise with?"

Arabella leapt to her feet. "How could you do this?" she yelled at King Roo, "How could you just decide that I was going to be killed?"

"Oh, but he didn't just decide this," Thorix explained with a smirk, "this has been the grand idea of King Roo since it became clear that you and your mother had vanished. Why would the King want some fake Beauty running around in the woods? So instead of being humiliated for his whole life, he made sort of competition. Whatever creature could bring you, an imperfect, embarrassing mistake, back to the Kingdom to be rid of, would be rewarded."

"And that was your reward?" Arabella shouted, "To let some horrible Beast rule your Kingdom?"

King Roo finally looked up. "Most Beasts would never be smart enough to ask for such a reward. I was expecting them to ask for jewels or perhaps cattle, but I had never expected a creature like Thorix to find you. What were the chances of it happening?"

"Oh, higher than you could have imagined," the Beast sniffed.

"You can't just kill me!" Arabella shouted, "There has got to be some other way. King Roo, please... Grandfather? You don't even know me!"

King Roo just shrugged. "I suppose it's best that we keep it that way." After a pause, he then added, "And don't call me Grandfather. I will never admit to be related to you."

Arabella wanted to scream. She wanted to attack the selfish, heatless Beauty who sat in front of her. She wanted to rip through his paper-thin flesh and watch his red blood spill across the room and stain 

every perfect object it touched. She had never hated a creature with so much passion before and couldn't understand how her mother had been related to him. And if it hadn't been for Thorix – who she knew she couldn't defeat herself – she would have killed King Roo right there and then. Only Thorix was there, so instead, Arabella bolted.

It was only as she ran towards the doors that she remembered the two guards who stood on either side. King Roo yelled out an order with a surprising amount of power, and the guards lunged at Arabella. Very soon, they held onto by the arms tightly. Arabella thrashed and kicked frantically, but the guards didn't even notice. Flipping her black hair out of her green eyes, Arabella looked at Raiven.

She gasped, "Help me. Raiven, please, help me!"

King Roo suddenly stood. "Don't you dare, Raiven. You're smarter than that."

"Raiven please," Arabella begged, "don't let them do this!"

"What do you think you can do?" King Roo continued, "You're a middle-aged Beauty against two guards."

"Help me Raiven! If not for me, than for Leola. My mother. Your friend!"

"Remember your place, Raiven," King Roo said in his low voice.

Raiven's head snapped back and forth between Arabella and King Roo. Her face was stone hard, and impossible to read. Through the window, the leaves began to dance and twitter with excitement with the wind, but Arabella was too distracted to notice. After a long pause, Raiven dropped her head and briskly exited the study without a sound. The sound of closing doors made Arabella cry out.

"Don't be so dramatic," Thorix said flatly. "If you stay quiet, I promise to make sure your death is quick one." He paused. "Oh wait, you can't stay quiet, because you haven't been able to control your emotions since you ate meat. Now what foolish creature would allow you to do such a thing?"

"Let go of me!" Arabella screamed at the top of her lungs and began trashing around once again. King Roo waved a hand in the air, signalling the two guards. Thorix watched in amusement as Arabella was dragged away, but King Roo couldn't bring himself to look up.

* * *

A/N – Hi! So I'm so sorry it's taken a long time to update. Getting back to school and life after summer hasn't exactly been easy. Hope I haven't lost any of you though!

x0


	23. Chapter 23

"Get me meat."

Arabella could hardly look at Raiven as she paced back and forth in her room, which in truth, was actually her prison until she was supposed to take the crown and then die. The two guards that had dragged her back stood outside her doorway, and had continued to do so for the rest of the day. Raiven eventually showed up to keep her company, and although still acted bold, her eyes did not gleam as they had earlier.

"I bet your pardon, Princess?" Raiven asked

"You heard me," Arabella snapped, "get me meat. Raw meat. And don't call me Princess."

The rodent she had devoured that morning was passing through her. She could feel the affect from the meat fading, and her Beast half beginning to calm down. Arabella didn't like the feeling of this, and had never craved flesh as she did now.

"It's the least you could do," Arabella added, baring her fangs, "after running out on me. Is that what you did when my mother asked for your help when they sentenced her to death?"

An infuriated look crossed Raiven's face, but very quickly past. With a forced bow, she quickly left the room. The door closed lightly, and Arabella let a sigh escape her. She found it difficult to stay angry at Raiven for long now that she was feeling more normal, but she refused let the woman think she was going soft. Still pacing anxiously, Arabella made her way to the window and hesitated before pulling it aside just enough to peer out.

Down below the Kingdom of Beauties was bustling. Surely the news of Arabella's presence must have been on the mouths of every Beauty, and she couldn't help but wonder if everything had known Arabella's fate. Had every creature but her known that the Kingdom of Beauties would only rest once she was dead? Even if it meant being ruled by a Beast?

The concept behind everything just seemed implausible.

Time passed, and Raiven emerged with a plate in hand. On it was a raw rabbit, surrounded by a few vegetables for decoration. Before Raiven could even speak, Arabella lunged for the meat. Her heart pounded blood and her eyes dilated as she devoured the animal. She almost chuckled at the sight of Raiven having to turn away.

And then, Arabella suddenly stopped eating. She looked dead ahead at the wall in front of her, but she listened intently to the stream of wind that pushed its way through the crack in the curtains. _Something's arrived,_ it giggled, _something has come for Arabellaaaaaa._

"Is everything alright?"

Arabella's bright green eyes snapped towards Raiven. It took her a moment to realize she had been asked a question. Thinking fast, she quickly demanded, "Get me more. Another rabbit, just as this."

"I don't believe the kitchen is ready for such an order –"

"I don't care!" Arabella snapped, "I don't even care if it still has fur on its back, just get me meat to eat."

Raiven seemed to hesitate, as if desperately trying to think up an excuse to just stay put. "Why don't we wait, Arabella," she suggested softly, but the look in Arabella's eyes forced her to leave. The second she closed the door behind her, Arabella wolfed the rest of the meat down and then rushed over to the window. She ripped open the curtains and a gust of wind blew through her face.

_They're looking for Arabellaaaaa. They don't belong but they're here for Arabellaaaaa. _

The wind was right. Arabella could smell the arrival of something that was not welcome. Arabella had not realized how long she had been trapped in her room for, but off in the distance, the sun was beginning to melt in the sky. Glancing down, Arabella only hesitated for a moment before she leapt out of the window. Twigs scratched her face as she fell through a tree and successfully grabbed onto a branch. She swung back and forth slightly before leaping from one branch to another, almost as professionally as a squirrel.

Landing on the ground with a soft thud, Arabella burst into a run. The light was disappearing fast, casting long shadows for her to run in and out of. She moved swiftly and avoided Beauties at all costs as she made her way to the front gate. Running towards it, she could see the guard at the door poking his head through the small window, clearly talking to someone below. Picking up speed, Arabella didn't stop to think as she bolted up the step ladder. Pushing the guard off, she hardly heard him scream in shock as she dove through the window. The tiny mixed-blood flew out to freedom with ease.

Her landing, on the other hand, wasn't so easy. To her shock, she was falling face first towards three familiar figures and Arabella let out a scream as she closed her eyes. They just avoided her, but Arabella smashed into the ground.

Hard.

"What was what?"

"I can't believe it. Arabella, it's really you!"

"You mean that was her who just flew at us?"

"Well what does this look like to you?"

A pair of large hands pulled Arabella to her feet. Through blurred vision, Arabella could see Okram grinning at her. "You did it! I knew you'd get away from Thorix. My, what an exit that was."

"Arabella," Keeble began as he reached out to her, but she quickly jerked back.

"Don't touch me," she hissed, "I know everything. Thorix and King Roo explained it all to me, and if you think that I would just forgive you for not telling me anything when you knew perfectly all along, then you're wrong!"

Okram, Keeble and Ladalee were all shocked with the sharpness in Arabella's voice, unable to respond. Her eyes practically glowed as she glared at them with such fieriness. Licking her lips, she lowered her voice, "Don't think I didn't realize why you were taking me here in the first place. You're all just as monstrous as Thorix." Shoving Ladalee to the side, Arabella began to walk in the direction of the forest.

"Where do you think you're going?" Okram called after her.

"Away from you," she yelled, "away from everyone who was only ever using me to try and get the throne."

"You don't understand, Arabella," Keeble began to run after her, "you've got this all mixed up. Arabella!"

Keeble reached out again and forced Arabella to a stop by grabbing hold of her arm. "We have to go back to the Kingdom of Beauties. We have to –"

"I'm not listening to you anymore," she whispered, her green eyes large and wounded. "You all lied to me, and now it doesn't even matter because Thorix beat you to it. He's made the deal with King Roo, and if I don't get away, I'm going to be killed."

Keeble's eyes grew wide. "You mean Thorix in the kingdom?" When Arabella didn't answer, he snapped her name loudly, voice full of impatience. Unable to take it anymore, Arabella let out a scream and lifted her other arm to scratch Keeble across the face. He let go of her in shock, and Arabella bolted away so quickly that she didn't have time to see the four lines of blood appear on his colorless face.

Okram and Ladalee joined Keeble's side. The shocked albino slowly wiped the blood from his face. "Okram," he stammered, "that's not Arabella. That _can't_ be Arabella."

"It is," answered Ladalee, "she's just confused because that's her Beast." Ladalee let out a tiny chuckle. "She has no idea how to control herself anymore."

Keeble shook his head. He could not accept that that was really Arabella, with that wild, unfamiliar look in her eyes. "What are we going to do?" he croaked, "Okram?"

But for the first time in his life, Okram didn't have an answer.


	24. Chapter 24

Arabella ran until she felt her heart would explode through her chest. Eventually she stopped to rest at the trunk of a large tree, but inhaling deeply, she could still smell the scent on Beauties in the air. She wasn't far enough yet, but she would needed more to eat before she continued on her way. Her eyelids closed as her breathing steadied, she began to focus.

If there was an animal nearby, she couldn't hear it. Too distracting the wind was, as was the mocking jeering of the leaves above. They taunted her, dragging out her name to almost ten syllables, as the wind wrapped the millions of voices around her body. She was a mess and she knew it, and the strangest feeling of distress flooded throughout Arabella as she tucked her head into her chest.

Arabella couldn't put into one word what she felt. Her body ached, feeling heavy and slow. Her head was too full of lies to think clearly. But she knew one thing; she was alone. She had no home. Her friends were going to sell her, kill her, for a title. Her family – if she could call King Roo that – supported her death just so he himself could die at last. Everything was twisted, too twisted to understand fully without the truths twisting around Arabella until she couldn't breathe and her bones cracked and her heat stopped and...

In the end, Arabella decided she felt broken.

* * *

It was dark by the time Keeble came across the creature curled on the ground. She was so small that he was surprised he hadn't missed her, but then realized he would never miss Arabella. Crouching down, he placed a hand on her shoulder and slowly, she sat up.

At first, Arabella looked relieved to see Keeble. She looked normal. Her heart fluttered at first before it began to pound wildly in her chest. Her expression darkened in an instant and her upper lip curled. "Get away from me," she growled, "I can't believe you would still follow me. Just leave me alone!"

"Arabella, you have to listen to me," Keeble spoke firmly, "King Roo has sent guards out looking for you. We have to-"

"We don't have to do anything," she snapped, jumping to her feet, "there never really was a 'we' in the first place, was there? You just went along with whatever Okram said. I'm by myself now."

Keeble wouldn't move out of her way. "You won't stand a chance against those guards by yourself."

"It'll be easy," chuckled Arabella, "easy to kill them."

"You wouldn't dare."

"You have no idea who I am, Keeble! I've tasted blood that I've killed, and I was right there when Thorix killed Slythe. It's not that hard."

Keeble stumbled slightly at this. "Slythe's dead?" He wasn't actually upset about this news, but a shiver ran through him nonetheless. Arabella sneered at this question. "He deserved it. You have no idea what he would have done to me... and you have no idea what I'll do to you if you don't get out of my way."

"Stop it Arabella!" Keeble shouted, "This isn't you and you know it."

"Of course it's me. I'm right here. This is who I've been all along."

"You're wrong. Arabella you know you're wrong."

It was here that she lunged at him. Hands on his shoulders, she tackled him to the ground. Arabella raised her arm, ready to strike Keeble's face. It was so white, so terrified, and so perfect. The shape of Keeble's eyes and lips were the same as her mother's, and for a brief second, Arabella hesitated. This was all the time Keeble needed. With amazing power, he pushed Arabella off and then rolled on top of her. Sitting on her stomach, he grabbed hold of her neck.

Their eyes met, Keeble glaring while Arabella's green eyes were wide and forlorn. He had expected Arabella to scream and make a fuss, but instead, she surprised with something else. "Help me," she whispered, her voice so soft that Keeble barely heard her. Even the wind and leaves froze in attempt of hearing her.

Keeble blinked. "What?"

Then, in a flash, Arabella's eyes were full of fury. Her pupils dilated and she shoved the distracted albino off of her. Rising to her feet, she began to circle him, her back hunched over and arms bent, ready to pounce. "Arabella," Keeble began, but she cut him off with a scream.

"Don't call me that. Stop calling me that!" She curled over, holding her head in her hands.

"But you are Arabella," Keeble reassured her, keeping his voice soft as he ever so slowly raised to his feet. "You are Arabella."

"I'm not, I'm not." She mumbled, her voice sounding different, thicker almost. "Help me, please. I'm not Arabella. Just leave me alone. Just go away!" She continued to ramble as Keeble approached her slowly. After a pause, he said her name one last time, and Arabella finally lifted herself up, surprising Keeble with what he saw. Arabella's eyes were filled with tears, and as she blinked, they rolled down her face.

"Arabella," Keeble spoke slowly, "Arabella you're crying."

"No I'm not," she sobbed, unconsciously wiping her face.

"Look at yourself! You're crying!" Keeble reached out and lifted Arabella's hand to her face. "Do you understand what this means? Beasts don't cry Arabella, they can't cry. But you're crying right here in front of me. You're not a Beast. You're not a Beauty. You're Arabella and only Arabella. No one can take that away from you. Do you understand?"

Whether or not Arabella was listening to Keeble as she stared in awe at the tears on her fingers, she nodded anyways. Her lips began to tremble as she said softly, "I don't want to die. Don't let them kill me, Keeble."

The confused creature then wrapped her arms around Keeble's torso, burying a side of her face into his shoulder. Her breathing staggered as she stared off into the dark, releasing more and more tears. Keeble hugged her back, and at last Arabella closed her eyes as something slowly melted away in her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered at last. Keeble didn't respond. He didn't need to.

Off in the distance, Okram, who had been looking for Arabella as well, came to a stop at the sight of the two figures holding each other, swaying slightly in the dark. A smile crept along his large mouth. Arabella and Keeble had done it. Together, they had beaten the beast, the one that lay hidden in many creatures. If they could do that, they could do anything.


	25. Chapter 25

The three Beasts stared at Arabella and stopped walking. Arabella stopped, but doing so without notice. Her eyes were glued onto the Kingdom of Beauties. They were so close to returning to the kingdom with no plan at hand. The idea made Arabella's insides churn until she thought she was going to be sick.

"Arabella," Keeble's soft voice distracted her from her thoughts. She looked up at him and smiled instantly. He was more beautiful than any Beauty she had ever seen. Hair white as snow, skin the color of cream, and eyes the more extraordinary color of pale grey – Arabella didn't even think of him as an albino anymore.

Okram cleared his voice. "You know you have to go in by yourself," he told Arabella, and her expression was a clearly shocked one.

"What?" she asked, "No, no please don't do this to me! I can't go in myself."

"Yes you can," Okram reminded her boldly, "you know the guards and citizens can't do anything to you. You're safe."

"How am I safe when entering the kingdom by myself is pretty much walking to my death?" demanded Arabella. The edges of her eyes started to sting and she couldn't help but wonder if she was about to cry again.

Suddenly, Ladalee let out a gruff laugh. "You three are all so melodramatic," she rolled her beady eyes. "Honestly Arabella, do you think we would have followed you all the way out here just to say goodbye? If you don't remember, Okram had a set of his own plans that he still has to fulfill." The Beast than rolled her eyes and muttered, "Sometimes I feel like I'm the only practical one here."

Arabella felt her mouth drop slightly. Recently she had thought that Okram's plan was the same as Thorix until Keeble had told her otherwise without actually telling her his plans. "So, what are Okram's plans?" Arabella asked, then after a pause added, "You three will never get into the kingdom. King Roo will make sure nothing else will walk through those gates after I do."

"Who said we're walking through the gates?" a voice came from the dark. Startled, Arabella snapped around, afraid that someone had found them. When she realized who it was though, she knew she had no reason to be afraid anymore.

"Do you know another way to get inside the palace?" Arabella asked, grinning.

"Your mother did, and luckily she showed me. If you can't go through the palace, might as well used the tunnels and go under." With a wink, Raiven grinned back.

* * *

Thorix escorted Arabella back to the palace. He gripped onto her wrist with great firmness, so much that Arabella's hand began to go numb. "So you thought you could get away," he stated as he pulled Arabella after him. He then laughed with disgust.

"Well, I was the one who returned," Arabella pointed out. After receiving a glare from Thorix, Arabella decided to say nothing else.

They returned to the palace, and Arabella was wrong to think she was going to be locked in her room once again. Thorix led her down hallways she had not been shown yet, until at the end of the hallway were a pair of large wooden doors. They were tall and beautiful with large brass handles. On the doors were tiny carvings, and Arabella saw very quickly that every creature had been carved on. Everything from the Beauties to the Beasts. Everything but Arabella.

Thorix burst through the doors and the two of them entered a large room. It looked like a ballroom, with a smooth marble floor and grand chandeliers on the ceiling. At the end of the room was a spectacular gold throne. Sitting in the throne was a not so spectacular Beauty; King Roo.

"I've been alive for two long," he croaked as Thorix and Arabella approached him, "let us get this over with quickly." King Roo had put a large, golden crown on his head. On his back he had thrown on a thick red robe and held a staff in his left hand. Arabella supposed this was supposed to make him look like a kind, strong king, but the skin sagging off of his face proved otherwise.

Swallowing, Arabella asked nervously, "What do I have to do?"

"Nothing, really," the King responded, rising to his feet. "We have Thorix as a witness, so all you have to do is get down on one knee. I will place the crown on your head, allowing you to be Queen."

Thorix and King Roo both stared at Arabella, who continued to stand in her place. "Well what are you doing?" snapped Thorix. He sounded anxious.

Arabella glanced around the room, looking for signs of the Beasts. There was nothing. Voice wobbling, she managed to say, "I-I'm not ready y-yet."

King Roo rolled his eyes as Thorix yelled, "You don't need to be ready for anything." He grabbed onto Arabella's shoulders and shoved her down on one knee. He kept his hands on her shoulders as King Roo began the ceremony.

"Usually," King Roo began, "I would say some long speech about how proud I am of you and all that terribly dull stuff. But I am not proud of you, Arabella. You have disgraced the family name, and we both know you won't be queen for long."

"King Roo, please, don't do this," Arabella begged, shaking her head frantically. The King ignored her.

"I, King Roo, pass this crown, this throne, and this Kingdom, to the rightful heir, Arabella." Lifting the crown off of his head, he placed it onto Arabella's own shaking one. It was a heavy thing, causing Arabella's head droop slightly. Nonetheless, it seemed to suction onto her and did not fall off.

Looking up, Arabella was terrified with what she saw. Roo – for that was all he was now – had raised his arms out to the sides. Closing his eyes, he smiled and let out a sigh that echoed throughout the room. His body began to tremble and then slowly began to disintegrate. It was as if he had been made up of nothing more than dust, and now he was finally falling apart. "What a great joy it is to just give up and die at last," his voice sounded like a whisper, but bounced off of the walls anyways.

"King Roo!" Arabella screamed as she rose to her feet, but before she could reach out to him, he exploded into dust. It floated in the air briefly before it began to float down to the floor ever so slowly. Staring where Roo had been standing only seconds before, Arabella couldn't help but let out a distraught sob.

"Oh don't cry Arabella," Thorix spoke slowly as he crept up beside her, "or should I say, Queen Arabella. My favourite part coming up." Eyes locked with Arabella's, he let out a low laugh. "My turn."


	26. Chapter 26

On the floor lay King Roo's cape and staff. Rising to her feet, Arabella picked them up and shoved them to Thorix. When he didn't accept them, she dropped them to the floor, then did the same to the crown on her head. "I don't want to be queen," she whimpered, "please, just take it and I'll leave." Glancing around, she thought with panic, _Where is Keeble? Where are Okram and Ladalee? Why hasn't Raiven showed them a way in?_

Thorix just grinned. "You know it doesn't work like that." He paused. "You know, Queen Arabella, there are different types of Beasts. Slythe, for example, resembles that of a snake, while Okram's Beast is similar to a bear. Ladalee is some type of warthog, the pathetic creature. And the part of you that is Beast, my dear, is very faintly resembled to a wolf."

"I am no wolf," Arabella whispered, "I am not a Beast and I am not a Beauty. I realized that I am only Arabella. You cannot trick me this time."

"You're missing the point," continued Thorix, his eyes flashing wickedly, "what I am trying to say that my Beast is related to a cat. Would you like to know what cats do to their prey? They never kill them right away. A cat a mouse and break two of its legs, watch it try to get away, and then pull it back with its claws only to see it struggle again for its own amusement. This is my natural instinct, Queen Arabella, and I hope you know I do apologize for the pain you are about to receive."

"Thorix!" Arabella suddenly shouted, but was cut off as her face was smacked by the Beast's arm. Arabella flew backwards and her body lashed against the ground. Before she had time to even more, he was by her side and kicked her hard in the ribs. It wasn't until the fourth kick that she heard a faint _crack!_

Unable to bear it any longer, Arabella sprang up into the air, gasping with the pain in her ribs as she did. Thorix was not expecting this and had no time to duck out of the way as Arabella lunged for his face. Her nails dug deep as she ripped at his flesh. Her feet had hardly touched the ground though before Thorix had gripped her by the waist and thrown her across the large room. Arabella's head smacked into the pillar she was thrown at. She could not move.

Wiping his face, Thorix looked at his hand to see it smeared with blood, his blood. Breathing heavily, he let out a low growl and strutted towards Arabella. "You arrogant little whore," he snarled through clenched fangs, "how dare you scratch me after I saved you from Slythe. You should be bowing down to me!" He stopped to laugh. "But I suppose none of it matters. Soon you'll be dead and everything you were born to protect, the Beauties, the Kingdom, everything will be mine. You turned from a cowardly mixed-blood to some pompous creature who thought she was more powerful than everything else. I'll have you know that you were nothing from the start but a mistake, a mistake that I'm about to erase from the world."

Despite the pain that was pumping through Arabella's veins, she managed to keep her eyes open. After a pause, she forced to look up at Thorix. Her eyes were greener and brighter than they'd ever been. "You called me a wolf," she managed to say, "and you called yourself a cat. The thing about wolves Thorix, is that they hunt in packs, and one cat can't stop them."

Staring at Arabella intensely, Thorix's grin melted away as he tried to make sense of her words. Of course, Arabella only said such a thing because as Thorix was talking, he was oblivious as one of the tiles of the floor quickly lifted off of the ground. He was oblivious as Keeble, Okram, and Ladalee followed Raiven out of the ground. He was completely oblivious up to the point where he turned around just in time to see Keeble in front of him with his sword ready. In one swift and smooth movement, the sword flew and without a sound, Thorix fell to his knees, never to rise again.

At this, Arabella let her eyes close at last. All sound disappeared. She couldn't even hear the sigh of relief that escaped from her lips. All she knew was that her pack of wolves had saved her.

* * *

With a pair of scissors, Raiven cut the long piece of fabric off of the roll and taped the end of it around Arabella. Noticing the young girl wince, she asked, "Is this too tight?"

"Nope," Arabella winced slightly but grinned, "nope, this is perfect. Okram says my ribs will heal faster with the bandage tight."

With a nod, Raiven smoothed down the bandaged and then helped Arabella into her dress. It was a deep red, made out of the finest velvet and was decorated on the chest with gold lace. "Your mother broke her ribs once you know," Raiven told her, "but only one. I had convinced her to climb her first tree, and of course she makes it to the top only to fall all the way to the ground. I felt so guilty, but she never blamed me. Even when King Roo asked her what had happened, she never blamed me; never even said I was there."

Stepping back, Raiven stared at Arabella. She looked beautiful, with her long black hair, finally untangled, tumbling down her back like a waterfall. It had been eight days since the night of Thorix's death, and already Arabella was looking better. "I miss your mother," Raiven whispered, taking Arabella by the hands.

Arabella gave a squeeze back. "Me to," she whispered, and the two of them stared at each other with the kindest of eyes. "Ready?" Arabella asked, and Raiven let out a laugh as she led Arabella to the door. Together they walked down the long hallways of the place in the Kingdom of Beauties until they entered the ballroom. It was full of messengers and servants, knights and pages, and most importantly, Keeble, Okram, and Ladalee; her family. They stood by her throne, and all bowed their head in respect as she sat down.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," she found herself blushing, "I'm still just Arabella."

"Queen Arabella," Okram corrected with a wink and Arabella smiled back. A few days ago when she was unable to get out of bed due to her injuries, Okram has confessed his past plans to her. Arabella's father had been Okram's half brother, and the two of them had been as close as Arabella's mother and Raiven. To avenge his half brother, Okram had sworn that he would knock King Roo out of his throne by taking Arabella to the Kingdom of Beauties, only Thorix had gotten in the way of his plans. Arabella's smile grew into a grin just at the thought of her being related to Okram.

"So what will your plans be as Queen?" Ladalee asked who had done her best to brush her bright orange mane and look somewhat presentable.

Arabella let out a nervous laugh. "I've been thinking of a couple of things," she admitted, gripping the arms of her throne. "I would like to make an alliance with the elves. I know their princess, Raellis, only she would much rather be known as Rae. And the water nymphs you saved me from are only so terrible because they are prisoners of Beauties. I would like to know how to set them free." She paused. "And I would also like to end the rumour that Beasts are horrible creatures and are always enemies to Beauties."

There was a pause as three pairs of eyes stared at Arabella in awe. Then, all at once, Okram and Ladalee started talking over each other. "I love it," she declared, "I'll find a way to send a letter to the elves. The fact that you already know their princess should make it slightly easier to get them to trust you. Let me go find a messenger boy."

"You know I never had anything against water nymphs," Okram admitted, "so I would be honoured to go and find out how to relieve them of the curse. I will be back with answers in only a matter of moments."

Just like that, the two Beasts marched off to help Arabella fulfill her tasks, leaving her alone with Keeble. His pale eyes sparkled as he smiled at her. "I like your last plan," he admitted.

Arabella giggled. After a pause, she said, "I feel so silly in this dress. It doesn't feel like me. Can you tell it's still me?"

"I can tell it's still you, don't worry." Keeble laughed, their eyes locked. After a moment, they both blushed and turned away at the same time. "Need me to help you with anything?" Keeble asked after.

Arabella shrugged. Glancing back at her throne, she gestured to a lightly smaller yet still grand chair that sat next to it. "Actually, it gets pretty lonely sitting up here waiting for people to come to you with news. I was hoping you'd like to sit with me?" Keeble nodded. Reaching out, he lightly grabbed Arabella's hand and the two of them walked to their seats. Even after they sat down in a comfortable silence, they kept their hands clasped together.

With a sigh, Arabella stared across the ballroom and out the large windows that gazed across the Kingdom, her Kingdom. How different her life had been just days ago when she was running for her life in the forest; so many things had changed. Not everything, of course. Giving Keeble's hand a squeeze, she decided that with the family and friends she had now, she could survive any live that was thrown at her. She was invincible .

Arabella.


	27. Chapter 27

_Once upon a time there was a fairytale. _

_This fairytale was of a royal Beauty who fell in love with a Beast, and together they had a child who was banished due to being a mixed-blood. Her name was Arabella. _

_As Arabella grew up, her life was faced with unimaginable adventures and dangers as she found out about herself. Along the way she met many enemies, but even more friends. With these friends, Arabella overcame any challenges that faced her, such as brilliant, power-hungry Beasts and a selfish, corrupt King. In the end, Arabella gained the throne that was rightfully hers, and ruled the Kingdom of Beauties as she was always meant to._

_Only Arabella did more than just help her kingdom. Arabella allowed creatures to live where they wanted, love who they wanted, and follow their dreams. She made it her duty to help any creature in need and evoke freedom for all, for in truth, they were all the same. And in the end, as different creatures fell in love with other creatures, this became true. Out of this love, something new was born. _

_Arabella decided to call it a Human. _

_Once upon a time there was a fairytale, only everyone knew it was more than just that..._

End.

_x0_

_Vintage88_


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